Harry's Cousin
by Jhotenko
Summary: Dudley Dursley is just a normal boy, not like his freak cousin. At least that's what he thought. Turns out he has magic too, and that revelation is going to change everything for his entire family.
1. My son is not a freak!

Disclaimer: I own neither the characters, nor the world in which they reside. The only thing I take credit for, is the jumble of words I've carefully laid out in attempt to write a story.

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at fan fiction, well at least that has ever seen the light of day. It originally was going to be a one-shot, but it has grown out of my control. I'm not sure how far I'll take this story, but I will make sure it has an ending when I'm done. Read and review please. Encouragement, criticism, even flames are all welcome.

Chapter 1

My son is not a freak!

-o-o-

Minerva McGonagall, as deputy headmistress of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, had many duties and responsibilities. Of them all, her favorite was approaching muggle families and informing them that their child is magical. The disbelief when she told them, followed by wonder when she'd prove magics existence, made the severe woman smile every time.

Most children accepted to Hogwarts simply received their acceptance letter via owl post. Since muggle families were ignorant of magic, Minerva would personally deliver their children's acceptance letters. This allowed her to gently introduce the family to magic, and paint Hogwarts and the magical world as a whole in the best possible light.

Today Minerva was delivering her last two letters for the year. She was especially excited because one of those letters was addressed to Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived. Harry was raised by his non-magic aunt and uncle after the events of October 31st 1981.

The Halloween of '81 was celebrated by the wizarding world as the day He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was defeated. Harry Potter was revered as the one who caused the dark wizard's downfall. Somehow after killing Harry's parents, when the dark lord attempted to kill the infant, his own curse rebounded and destroyed him. Though the death of James and Lilly Potter was tragic, the survival of their only son and the defeat of You-Know-Who was one of the most celebrated events in modern magical history.

Minerva originally had misgivings about leaving young Harry in the care of his muggle family. She had spent a day observing them, and it was her opinion that they were the worst sort of muggles imaginable. Albus Dumbledore felt there was little cause for concern. Considering he was, and is, one of the greatest wizards alive, she backed down and let him place Harry in their care without further objection. She was then given Albus' assurance that Harry was in good health and well taken care of when she had later inquired about his well-being.

Smoothing the skirt of her muggle suit, she walked up to number four Privit Drive and rang the doorbell.

-o-o-

Eleven year old Dudley Dursley was fooling around on his computer, blowing up aliens in increasingly sadistic ways, when the doorbell rang. Considering he wasn't expecting his friends over, the noise barely registered. He did pause his game when he heard his mother call for him to answer the door seeing as she was busy in the kitchen.

"Make the freak get it mummy I'm busy." Dudley called back down to his mother.

"He's out back weeding the garden. I'll not have his tracking mud through my house. Just answer the door sweetums and see who it is." Petunia Dursley entreated as she was working on forming pie crusts for desserts that week.

Disgusted that he had to leave his game for any length of time, Dudley ran down the stairs. He stopped before answering the door to compose himself. Appearances were very important, and he was always to present himself as a proper young man in public. This had been driven into him from as far back as he could remember. Of course it was only the appearance that was important to his family. In private, and as long as he never got caught in public, he could act up and do whatever he wanted.

-o-o-

After waiting for a couple minutes, Minerva was about to knock on the door when it opened. A young heavy-set boy held the door with a polite smile.

"Can I help you ma'am?" The overweight boy asked politely.

Minerva hesitated for a moment, she had never seen such a large boy. If she didn't know better, she would swear he was victim of a partial human to pig transfiguration. His features even resembled a pig in some ways. Blinking she shook herself out of her stupor. Appearance aside, the boy was remarkably well mannered and to be rude in return was unthinkable.

"Yes indeed I believe you can. You wouldn't happen to be Dudley Dursley would you?"

"Yes Ma'am, may I ask why you are here?" Dudley responded.

"If your parents are home I would like to speak your family in regards to an invitation to a very prestigious school." Minerva said hiding her shock at how polite the lad was. It was very rare for an eleven year old muggle to display such manners. She began relaxing, deciding her initial conclusions about the Dursleys were unfounded.

Dudley looked behind him into the house and called out to his mother.

"Mum, there's a lady at the door who wants to talk to us, I think it's about Smeltings."

Minerva decided to wait until she was invited in and they were all settled before correcting Dudley's assumption. She figured Smeltings must be a muggle school of some prestige, but there was no doubt Hogwarts was superior.

"Lead her into the family room, and I'll be there in a few minutes Duddy." A voice came from further into the house.

Duddley led Minerva into their family room, and offered her a seat. Most of the furniture was rather pillowy for her tastes, so she chose to sit in an antique looking wooden highback chair with a thinner seat cushion. She was pleased when Dudley offered his arm to help her into the seat.

They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes, when Petunia entered carrying a floral pattern tea service. After accepting a cuppa and giving Petunia a chance to sit down on a well cushioned couch along side her son, Minerva spoke.

"Well, I was hoping to catch the whole family Mrs. Dursley. May I ask when your husband and nephew will be returning?" She asked taking a sip of tea.

"Please call me Petunia. Vernon was called into work today even though it's the weekend. Grunnings would fall apart if not for my husband. As for my nephew, the little troublemaker is out back doing his chores. There's no need to worry about him. He wont be going to Smeltings, far to much of a delinquent to inflict on your fine school." Petunia's voice and manner grew cold when talking about her nephew.

Nonplussed, Minerva took a moment to compose her response. Harry Potter a delinquent? The boy must take after his father's worst traits. Well, trouble making tendencies aside, Harry belonged at Hogwarts. Hopefully he would learn discipline there. If he was sorted into her house Gryffindor, she would see to it personally.

"First off, I need to clear up a slight misconception. I am not here representing Smeltings. My name is Minerva McGonagall and I am deputy headmistress of Hogwarts school..." She began to explain.

"Out! Get out of my house this instant! I'll not have you freaks anywhere near my family!" Petunia stood up in a rage, her face turning red with anger. She stood in front of Dudley as if to protect him from danger.

The change was as surprising as it was instantaneous. One moment she was the prim and proper hostess, the next Petunia was screeching like a harpy. Thrown for a loop Minerva was speechless. This just did not make sense. She needed to figure out what was going on.

"Now just one minute. I am here to deliver Hogwarts acceptance letters, and I'll not leave until the lads have had the opportunity to read them." She said sternly while preparing to draw her wand if necessary.

"It's bad enough your people make us take in my freak sister's son, now you... What do you mean letters." Petunia's voice trailed off and her face blanched as she realized the implication of more than one acceptance letter.

"I mean that I have here two letters of acceptance to Hogwarts. One for Harry James Potter, and one for Dudley Vernon Dursley." Minerva said holding up two parchment envelopes sealed with red wax.

What semblance of control Petunia had left went out the window. She began screeching at Minerva and even started to throw tea cups at the aged witch. Screaming again and again for her to get out, and yelling at the top of her lungs that her sweet Duddums was not a freak.

Minerva's wand dropped into her hand, and she immediately cast a shield, allowing the porcelain cups to shatter before hitting her. With a swift motion she immobilized the hysterical woman, and was forced to do the same to her son when he attempted to swing a knobbly stick at her. She then cast a spell to alert the aurors and moved to find Harry.

-o-o-

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was at his desk dealing with the bane of any administrator, paperwork. Suddenly one of the many silver instruments on the edge of his desk began to make noise and let off a thick green smoke. The device was one of many that allowed Albus to monitor Harry potter. This one in particular told him that someone was using a wand at number four Privit Drive. The green smoke signified that it was a wand he had keyed in as belonging to a trusted witch or wizard. This was expected considering Minerva was due to deliver acceptance letters to the boy and aparently his muggleborn cousin. The alarm however was not expected. It meant that the magic being cast was duelling magic, either offensive or defensive.

Dropping everything, Albus quickly flood to Hogsmead where he could apparate directly to Privit Drive.

-o-o-

Auror John Dawlish was manning the alert monitors in the department for magical law enforcement as punishment for failing to follow procedure. It was one of the worst assignments, but he didn't dare complain. It was better by far than being assigned to Azkaban as a guard. He was just barely staying awake when an alarm blared in front of him. There was a call for help in Little Whinging, Surrey. He pulled down a brass tube that led to the on call room and spoke into it.

"Attention there is an alert for number four Privit Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Aurors Proudfoot and Shacklebolt report to deployment for your portkey."

Dawlish then wrote the coordinates down on a piece of parchment and charmed it to fly to deployment where the on duty charms master would create an insertion portkey.

-o-o-

With a quiet 'crack' Albus Dumbledore appeared in the backyard of the Dursley home. The first thing he saw was his deputy on her hands and knees in front of some rose bushes.

"Minerva, What's going on?" Albus demanded as he walked over to her, his bright purple robes flowing around him.

"Albus! The wee bairn is hiding, the lad's distraught an' I no can coax him oot." Her Scottish brogue growing thicker the more distraught she herself became.

"Calm yourself Minerva. Are you saying young Harry is hiding in the rose bushes? Why? What has gone wrong?" He calmly asked as he helped her to her feet.

As Minerva breathed in and tried to calm herself, they heard the telltale sound of a portkey followed by the front door being slammed open.

"Ministry aurors! Nobody move!" An authoritative voice rang from inside.

Minerva swept passed Albus and called out before entering through the back door.

"There's no chance they'll be moving, I used the body-bind jinx when they attacked me." She said as she held her wand limp with her hands in the air.

"Are you the witch that called us in professor McGonagall? Can you please tell us what happened here?" Auror Proudfoot asked while Shacklebolt levitated the Dursleys to the couch and summoned ropes to bind them just in case.

"Now then I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding. You've responded swiftly and are credits to the DMLE, but there is no need to treat the poor Dursleys in such a fashion." Dumbledore said gently attempting to smooth things over and get rid of the aurors before things got out of hand.

"There most certainly is Albus. They may not have posed any threat to me, but I've reason to believe these horrible muggles have been abusing Harry Potter! The poor boy is emaciated. He needs to see a healer, but I can't get him out from those thorny bushes." Minerva said sharply.

The two aurors stood back and let their former professor and headmaster argue, hoping to gain a clearer picture of the situation.

"I'm certain it can't be as bad as all that. Just because the boy is thin doesn't mean he's being mistreated. I've had someone keeping an eye on the situation here, and she assures me that this family is the very picture of decency." Dumbledore's tone was soothing and seemed to radiate calm.

"Don't take that tone with me Albus, I'm not a student. You can't affect my feelings on the matter with your parlor tricks. I will agree this family is the picture of decency, but it's only a picture. They were the epitome of civility and manners before they discovered I was a witch. The thin veneer of decency, and I assure you that is all that it is, dropped and they quickly got violent. Imagine how bad the poor boy has had it. They know he's magic, but he can't defend himself." She Rebuked Dumbledore with a frosty tone.

"Shack, find Mr. Potter out back and take him directly to Saint Mungos. Once you're there call in backup and make sure this whole thing stays out of the papers. We don't need that upstart reporter Skeeter digging her libelous claws into this one." Proudfoot ordered, then turned to McGonagall. "Professor, why is Harry Potter here of all places?"

Dumbledore quickly answered before Minerva had the chance to open her mouth. "Due to reasons I am not at liberty to discuss, Mr. Potter has to live here with his aunt and her family. There is no place safer. So long as he lives here, no dark wizard can touch Harry."

"There are many ways to protect a child from dark wizards Chief Warlock Dumbledore. If his own family is hurting him in any way we must take him into custody for his own protection. Not even you can stop me from doing my duty here." Proudfoot nodded in satisfaction as a -crack- sounded from the back yard indicating Shacklebolt had disapparated with Harry Potter.

"As bad as all this is, there is something else. The Dursley child is a muggleborn. I was bringing a Hogwarts letter for Harry and his cousin Dudley. I fear learning their son is magical he too may be in danger." Minerva said shaking her head in disbelief as to how her day had gone so far.

After much arguing back and forth between Proudfoot, Dumbledore, and McGonagall, The auror and the professor were able to cow Dumbledore into backing off. Dumbledore left to consolidate his power as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot to try and salvage his plans for the Boy-Who-Lived. Minerva left for Hogwarts where she planned to calm herself with a few fingers of firewhiskey after assuring Proudfoot that she would be available as a witness at any point. Auror Proudfoot then apparated himself and the two Dursleys to the DMLE for processing.

-o-o-

Proudfoot was developing a headache. Why did he have to be the senior auror on call today? After answering the auror alert called in by his old transfiguration professor, his day had consisted of running around all over attempting to get to the bottom of the now top secret Harry Potter case. That was the one glimmering ray of sunshine in the whole mess, Shacklebolt had pulled through and managed to keep everything hush hush on his end. He even somehow managed to get both Rufus Scrimgeour and "Mad-Eye" Moody to guard Harry at Saint Mungos. He didn't even want to know how Shack had managed that one. Moody was a near legendary master auror, and Scrimgeour was the head auror himself. Upon leaving Potter in quite possibly the safest hands possible, Shacklbolt had caught back up with him. Proudfoot had immediately sent Shack back out to tactfully interview Vernon Dursley and feel out the Dursley/Potter situation without interference. Petunia Dursley was cooling her heels in a ministry holding cell, and would likely stay there until the whole mess had been figured out. Now Proudfoot had to go and interview the Dursley boy. Talking with children was not his strong point, but at least it would be less frustrating than the mountain of paperwork he would have to fill out after this whole thing was over.

-o-o-

Kingsley Shacklebolt was decidedly uncomfortable in the muggle suit he had donned to interview Mr. Dursley. At least the rich purple color with its gold trim appealed to his sense of style. He walked through the front door of Grunnings and up to the receptionist.

"I would like to speak with a Mr. Dursley please. It is a matter involving his nephew." Shacklebolt held up a lump of metal transfigured to resemble a muggle policeman's badge. He surreptitiously used his wand to cast a small compulsion charm to ensure the woman believed he was a policeman, and that he would be brought to Dursley's office.

Nodding the receptionist picked up a portion of an odd looking device and pushed several buttons on the portion still on her desk.

"Mr. Dursley, there is an officer here to see you, says it's about your nephew." She said as she held the device up to the side of her face. "Yes sir I'll send him right up."

"His office is on the ninth floor, room 907. Elevators are that way" She said pointing off to the side while putting the device back together.

"Thank you miss." Shacklbolt walked off in the direction she had indicated.

At the end of a hallway he saw three sets of silver doors. Assuming they must be the elevators, he walked up to one and was surprised when it didn't open. Looking around he noticed a set of buttons next to the door, with arrows pointing up and down. Silently chiding himself for thinking the muggle elevators would work the same as those in the ministry he tried pushing the button with an upward arrow. Immediately the set of silver doors next to those he was in front of opened. Slightly confused he moved over and entered the now open elevator.

"Ninth floor." He said as he stepped across the threshold.

When nothing happened he looked around and noticed a panel filled with buttons. After quickly reading them he pressed the one marked close doors. Encouraged by the doors closing, he pressed the button with a 9 on it. The elevator gently started to move and he felt quite proud that he'd worked things out himself. Arthur would be jealous, Shacklebolt made a note to tell the muggle enthusiast about his trip into the muggle world.

-o-o-

"Mr. Scrimgeour, can I speak with you in private about our V.I.P. patient?" A nervous healer asked the head auror.

Confident Moody could handle anything shy of an army of dark wizards, Rufus Scrimgeour nodded and followed the healer to a side room. "How is Mr. Potter?" he asked as he shut the door behind him.

"We gave the poor boy a dreamless sleep potion for now. He's, he's been abused. There's no doubt about it. He's been practically starved to death, there are signs of physical trauma, but possibly worst of all he's terrified. He fought every attempt to find out how bad the damage was. I think he's scared to death that he'll get in trouble if we find out what has happened to him. He can't go back to where ever he has been living. I hope when your men finish their investigation, that those monsters get the kiss over this."

"I see." A grim look settled onto his face. "Do whatever you have to to get the boy healthy again. The ministry will cover the bill. I can't stress enough how important it is that this stays quiet. No one save those treating him and either myself or Amelia Bones is to be allowed access to him."

-o-o-

"I keep telling you. I'm not a freak!" Dudley screamed, nearly frothing at the mouth the boy was in a full on tantrum. Stamping his feet in anger he yelled at the top of his lungs. "I want my mummy!"

Proudfoot quickly exited the room and told the MLE officer guarding the interrogation room to make sure the brat didn't hurt himself. He then made a quick stop at the first aid station for a headache relief potion before heading to the director to make his initial report.

Upon entering the office of the director for the DMLE Proudfoot noticed that Shacklebolt and Scrimgeour were both present.

Amelia Bones sat at her desk impassively as the three aurors in front of her gave their reports on the Potter case.

"The healers are going to start Potter on a potion regimen to counter malnutrition. They're also bringing in a mind healer to help the boy, he's a mess. The physical damage will be easy enough to fix, there isn't all that much to begin with. The mental trauma however, is severe. He's yet to open up, and they're even forced to secure him in order to administer potions." Scrimgeour said shaking his head. "I'll make sure you have a more detailed report on your desk by tomorrow morning at the latest. For now I need to gather a few more of my aurors and tighten up Potter's security. Mad Eye can't watch him constantly." After receiving a nod from Amelia he quickly left.

"The aunt refuses to cooperate. She keeps demanding that we 'freaks' have no right to do this to decent normal people like her family. She wants a barrister as well, but demands a muggle one." Proudfoot rubbed his forehead thankful for the effects of the potion he just downed. "The cousin is a spoiled brat. Best I could gather from the temper tantrum he's been throwing, he has no idea that he's magical. Apparently any accidental magic in the house has been blamed on Potter, even if he was nowhere near the event. If I am to get anywhere interviewing either one, I need a legilimens. I doubt anyone would approve of veritaserum for a child, no matter the reason." He finished and waited as Shacklebolt gave his report.

"I presented myself as muggle policeman, and Mr. Dursley was incredibly polite. He painted a picture of Potter being an incurable troublemaker and a constant liar. I have a feeling if I had brought up any crime at all he would have gladly implicated his nephew as a likely suspect." Shacklebolt paused and smoothed his robes glad to be out of the uncomfortable suit. "I then revealed I was a wizard, and his entire demeanor changed. He grew angry and hostile. Insisting that his nephew was a terrible burden that we 'freaks' had no right to drop on him and his 'normal' family. I managed to glean a few bits of information before he grew too beligerent, most notable that Albus Dumbledore supposedly made an agreement concerning Potter's stay with them. The deal was that they would keep him so long as they never had to deal with our kind. I couldn't get much more information as he became violent and I was forced to stun him. He's now in holding cell three."

Amelia set down her monocle and rubbed her eyes for a moment before replacing it and staring at the ceiling as if to ask: Why me? She had taken over as head of the DMLE nearly a decade ago after the old director Barty Crouch resigned in shame. Seems that his son had been a death eater, and even though Crouch did the right thing and sentenced Jr. accordingly, the political backlash forced Crouch to abdicate.

The Boy-Who-Lived was supposed to have been in a loving home, hidden and protected while he grew up. Dumbledore had assured the wizarding world this was true. Amelia had never quite trusted the old wizard, she felt he had too many positions of import to give proper attention to any of them. He not only was headmaster of Hogwarts and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, but also the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederacy of Wizards. The Potter boy being abused in the care of muggles was going to ruin Dumbledore unless the aged wizard burned up quite a bit of his political clout.

"Alright, as much as I think Dumbledore should get crucified for placing Potter with these monsters, we need to maintain media blackout for the boys' sake. Proudfoot, you have permission to bring in a legilimens. Find out everything pertinent from the aunt and uncle. Gather what you have and turn over this case to Scrimgeour. I have no doubt of your capability, but we need to handle this with extra care." She dismissed the senior auror and turned to Shacklebolt. "The muggleborn cousin is as much a victim here as Potter. I want you to find out what mind healer is going to be treating Potter and have them help the Dursley boy as well. In fact, take him to Saint Mungos and have him checked over as well. Considering his size, he can't be healthy."

Once her office was empty, Amelia sighed. Not for the first time, she wished she was still just an auror. She was not looking forward to explaining things to the Minister of Magic. Even though she didn't want the case made public, perhaps she could hold the whole fiasco over Dumbledore's head as leverage in the future. That thought made her smile as she made her way to inform Minister Fudge of the situation.

-o-o-

Cornelius Fudge had been Minister for less than a year and he was already facing a political crises that could ruin him. Never mind that he wasn't in control when Harry Potter was placed with his horrible muggle family. He was Minister now, and that was all the people would care about. They'd run him out of office if he didn't deal with this fast and decisively. Unfortunately the one person he always turned to for advice of any magnitude, was the very person who caused this fiasco! Madam Bones had just finished explaining the situation, and was waiting for him to respond.

"What do you suggest we do Amelia? Is there any way that we could sweep this under the rug?" Seeing the wild look in her eyes, Fudge backpedaled a bit. "Don't get me wrong, we have to help the poor boy of course. I just don't want to get any of this political nightmare on me. I can't be an effective Minister if I'm defending myself all of the time."

"I think that you need to address the issue on three points Cornelius. The children need to be taken care of, the abusive muggles need to be dealt with, and Dumbledore needs to account for his role in this. I do agree it is a nightmare in every way, perhaps you can use your influence with the Daily Prophet to keep the general public from learning of this. If it weren't for the fact the boys would suffer from the attention, I'd say go public and rake Dumbledore over the coals on this one." She said with a fire in her eyes that Fudge hoped would never be aimed toward him.

"Well, Potter and his cousin are the easiest to deal with, at least on our end. We just need to find a suitable family to take them in. My good friend Lucius for example, he has a boy the same age I'm sure they'd get along famously. Problem solved." Fudge casually dismissed the first issue.

"That's all well and good, but I seriously doubt the Malfoy family will take in a muggleborn child, and I think we aught to keep both boys together." Bones inwardly cringed, Malfoy was a political animal and would wield the Boy-Who-Lived like a weapon to further his own ends. That added to his role as a death eater in the war made her quick to shut down that line of thought.

"Hmm, you're quite right Amelia. I can't inflict a muggleborn upon poor Lucius." Fudge thought for a moment and then he nodded to himself. "I think our best bet would be to call a full session of the Wizengamot. As long as we keep the session closed and extract an agreement from everyone regarding silence, we should be able to find a family well suited to dealing with both boys. Although Perhaps we need to deal with Albus first. His role as Chief Warlock will cause problems."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Good thinking. Perhaps your friend Lucius will have some ideas to deal with Dumbledore in a way that doesn't draw undue attention." She may not like Malfoy, but she did respect his political clout. It also helped that Malfoy was well known to loathe Dumbledore, and would jump at the chance to roast the old goat.

"As for the Dursleys, let me handle things there. With your permission I'll work with muggle law enforcement to get them jailed in the muggle world. Authorize a couple compulsion and memory charms, and I'll make sure they'll be punished properly."

"Yes, yes, do what you need to. Let the muggles deal with their own trash. I'll work with Lucius to get Albus out of the picture, and then we can get the children put in a proper home." Fudge quickly agreed, already planning how with Lucius' help, no matter what happened, if someone does get crucified over this it wouldn't be him.


	2. Saint Mungo's

Authors Note: Thank you for those of you who are following my story. I also appreciate the reviews. I don't expect to be able to update on any set schedule, just whenever I finish a chapter. That having been said, here's chapter 2.

Chapter 2

Saint Mungo's

-o-o-

 _ **Too Fat, Too Thin, Too Dead.**_

 _article by Chester Winfield_

 _Two local boys were found near death in their home last Saturday by a schoolteacher. The Teacher who has asked to remain anonymous was attempting to recruit said children to her private school which has also requested anonymity._

 _The teacher grew suspicious while talking with homemaker Petunia Dursley when she heard noises coming from a small cupboard underneath the stairway. Further suspicion came when it was noticed that the cupboard door had a lock on the outside, and a sliding window that would not be out of place on a prison door. When Mrs. Dursley insisted that the children were out playing with friends, the worried teacher opened the cupboard door to find an emaciated child. Emergency services were contacted immediately, and the teacher was forced to defend herself from Mrs. Dursley who had become violent._

 _A sweep of the house discovered a morbidly obese child in an upstairs bedroom. The two children were rushed to the Royal Surrey County Hospital where they passed away despite the doctors best efforts. It appears that Mr. Vernon Dursley and his wife Mrs. Petunia Dursley had been starving their nephew Harry Potter (10). In contrast they had overindulged their own son Dudley Dursley (11), and fed the young boy so much that the child had difficulty breathing._

 _The Dursleys are being charged with the intentional murder of their nephew, and the reckless manslaughter of their own son. A court date is currently pending until the completion of the criminal investigation._

" _They always seemed like such a nice loving family. Looking back I suppose everything was just a little too perfect, you know? Like they were an advertisement for suburban living." - James Wright, postman_

" _I always thought it odd that you never saw the nephew. We all knew he was there, but they kept him hidden as if they were ashamed of him." - Jessica Stenz, Neighbor_

" _My sweet boy Piers was Dudley's best friend. We knew they let the boy eat more than was strictly healthy, but never thought this would happen. If I had any idea what they had been doing to their nephew I never would have let Piers anywhere near those monsters." - Penny Polkiss_

 _Harry Potter had been predeceased by his parents whom had died in a car accident in 1981. Young Harry was left in the care of his only remaining family, the Dursleys. Little else is known about Harry Potter. It seems his aunt and uncle did their best to keep the boy hidden. When questioned, his primary schoolteachers declined to comment on the matter. Other than school, it seems Harry simply did not exist outside of his aunt and uncle's home._

 _Dudley Dursley was well liked, and had many close friends. By all appearances, his parents doted on him, buying him all the newest toys, and indulging his every whim. Dudley was enrolled in, and all set to attend Smeltings come the new school year. When approached for comment, a Smeltings representative revealed that they did have some concerns about Dudley's weight._

 _It is this reporters belief that the Dursley's are immoral monsters. They 'loved' their son so much that they fed him to death. They resented their nephew so much that he paid for their hatred with his life. Two children, ready to enter secondary school, cut down because the adults responsible for their well-being were too absorbed with their own lives._

-o-o-

Amelia Bones set down the muggle newspaper she had procured. She had coordinated with a couple high ranking obliviators to manipulate the muggle police into believing the Dursleys had killed the two children. Confident that between the compulsion charms, memory charms, and outright obliviations, the matter of the Dursleys was taken care of. While she was sure the muggle world would handle itself, she made a note to learn what punishment was decided for the two monstrous muggles.

A sharp rap on her office door brought Amelia's attention back to the present. The door opened and a tall blonde pale man glided through.

"Ah Madam Bones, I must congratulate you on your success dealing with those... muggles." He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Cut the pleasantries Mr. Malfoy. We both know you don't like me, and I don't like you." She said abruptly. "Despite being on opposite sides of nearly every issue, we have a common cause. That is the only reason I am tolerating your presence in my office. I trust Minister Fudge has informed you of the situation? Otherwise I must know how you found out about my dealings with the muggle law enforcement. This entire mess is meant to be kept quiet."

This time Lucius Malfoy's eyes joined with the amusement his smirk displayed. "Indeed. Cornelius and I had a truly interesting discussion over tea, just this morning. Shall we move this to the Minister's office where the three of us can work out the best way to attain our goals?" He held his arm out to escort her as a proper gentleman should.

"Very well. Let's get this over with." Amelia stood and vanished the muggle paper with a wave of her wand. Then she brushed by Malfoy, snubbing his proffered arm. Rolling his eyes at the insult, he followed her through the ministry.

-o-o-

"Albus is calling in just about every favor he has to try and retain control over young Mr. Potter. Under any other circumstance I would be concerned that he has such a lead on us in garnering votes." Fudge said with a grin that seemed out of place on the more often nervous minister.

Amelia cocked her eyebrow. "May I ask why you are so unconcerned? Dumbledore carry's enormous respect with most of the Wizengamot. If he's calling in favors, how are we supposed to block him?"

"For one thing, if he is using up his clout so freely it means he must be afraid his position is weak. All we need to do is discover what that weakness is, and the best way to exploit it." Malfoy explained calmly.

"Too right Lucius. I've had Dolores do some digging, and I gathered my own information as well. It turns out we have a great deal of evidence that our esteemed Chief Warlock has overstepped his bounds." Fudge pushed a piece of parchment forward. "This is a copy of the Potters' wills. Both clearly name Alice Longbottom and Sirius Black as the two options for guardians in the event of their deaths."

"That isn't exactly new information, they are the boy's godparents. It's a moot point anyway. Alice is permanently incapacitated, and Black is in Azkaban. Both are unsuitable." Amelia pointed out.

"Yes, now, but both were quite capable at the time of the Potters' demise. It wasn't until after the doddering fool placed the child with his muggle relatives that Black was arrested, and the Longbottoms were... rendered incapable. What is further damning is Lilly Potter's will explicitly states that under no circumstance is Harry to be placed with her sister." Malfoy pointed out a clause in Lilly's will.

"There is the matter of Black's incarceration as well." Fudge paused, shuddering slightly. "I have no doubt that he is guilty. I was one of the first on the scene, and his mad laughter haunts me to this day. Guilt aside, he was never given a trial. Between Bartemius and Albus one of them should have ensured a trial took place."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. Having been in Voldemort's inner circle he was well aware that Black had not been a death eater. In the span of barely a second he decided crushing Dumbledore was more important than trying to keep his wife's blood traitor cousin in prison. "You mean to say that Sirius Black, scion of one of the oldest noble houses, was imprisoned without any chance to defend himself before the Wizengamot?" He didn't even have to feign outrage. "That fact alone will rally many to our cause. If one of such noble lineage has had his rights trampled on, what is to stop such precedent being used on someone who is actually innocent?"

"We must ensure he receives a trial. As much as I don't condone his actions, I can see how in his zeal at the time, my predecessor skipped the trial. Given the situation at the time and his well known hatred of death eaters, he likely found it unnecessary." Amelia paused, shaking her head. "Dumbledore on the other hand as Chief Warlock should not have allowed anyone to be sent to Azkaban without a trial of some sort."

"I believe we have enough to bury Albus if we play our cards right. We also have one more advantage, one that could prove the strongest. Albus is concentrating wholly on retaining his position as Potter's magical guardian. I don't believe he has realized our intent is to remove him from power. He loses his power, he loses Potter anyway. Such an oversight makes me wonder what else Albus is hiding that he's panicking over the thought of losing control over the boy." Fudge looked back and forth between his two allies. "We have one week to prepare for the next Wizengamot session. Now, ideas on how best to exploit our advantages while we can?"

-o-o-

"How are we feeling today Mr. Potter?" asked Healer Brown as she walked into the boy's room.

Healer Agatha Brown was in charge of the semi secret sixth floor of Saint Mungo's. The sixth floor was where maladies of the mind were dealt with. Most witches and wizards viewed mind healing as something to be embarrassed about, and as a result few who needed such care actually got it. In fact it was so common for magical folk to ignore mind healing, that only muggleborns and the occasional half-blood were comfortable enough to request it. Brown wasn't a mind healer herself, instead she cared for the resulting physical issues that often plagued those who needed extended care on her floor. Her latest two charges were the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter himself and his muggleborn cousin. Where they normally would have been sharing a room, they had been separated because of their poor relationship growing up.

"'m okay." Harry responded quietly. "Are you going to make me drink more of that awful stuff like yesterday?"

"I'm afraid so." She said with a caring smile. "I'll make a deal with you. If you drink the entire nutrient potion this morning I'll let you have whatever you want for lunch later today."

Harry looked up at her with guarded optimism. "Can I have a fried egg? I've always wondered what eggs taste like."

"Just an egg? Surely you want more than that for lunch. You need to eat more or else you're going to need these potions for a long time." She said with a small frown, ignoring the comment about never having tasted eggs for the moment.

"'m sorry." He drew his knees to his chest and sat there withdrawn. "I'll eat whatever you think I should, only don't tell my aunt and uncle." He paused and looked away. "I'm not usually allowed lunch."

Fighting back the tears forming in her eyes, she set the nutrient potion down on the small bedside table along with a goblet of water. "I promise they'll never know. Just drink the potion for now, I suggest downing it in one go. I'm sorry to say there are very few potions that actually taste pleasant. The water will help with the aftertaste."

There was a light knock on the door frame, announcing the presence of the mind healer.

"I'll leave you in the care of Healer Abbott. She's a mind healer, and she's going to help you feel better." Brown said as she turned to leave and check on the Dursley child.

"Hello there Harry, my name is Kelly Abbott. As Healer Brown said I'm a mind healer. Do you know what that means?" She asked as she drew a chair up to his bed and sat down.

Harry shook his head no.

"It's my job to help people with mental health or emotional problems." She said gently.

Harry withdrew a little more. "So you're here because I'm a freak."

"Not at all. You are not a freak, and I'm here to help you see that for yourself." She explained carefully. "We don't have to do anything today, and I wont force you to do anything you don't want to. When you feel up to it I would like you to tell me why you think you aren't normal. Right now though, you really should drink that potion. It will help your body get healthy."

Harry looked up skeptically. "I don't have to talk if I don't want to?"

She smiled and shook her head slightly. "No dear, I hope that you'll feel comfortable enough to talk to me at some point, but I wont force you. How about I tell you some stories about myself for now?"

Healer Abbott started telling Harry about how she was first introduced to the magical world when she was ten. He quickly drank the potion, and sipped the water while he listened quietly.

-o-o-

On her way to speak with Dudley Dursley, Healer Abbott was stopped by Healer Brown in the hall. Laying her hand on the others shoulder, Brown looked Abbott strait in the eye.

"Be careful with this one Kelly, and keep your wand at the ready. He is extremely agitated, and will not hesitate to turn to violence. I had to use a sticking charm just to keep him in his bed. What's more, I can't administer the potions he'll need to lose all those extra pounds without paralyzing him. Seeing as the potions can wait for now, I'd rather give them to him when he is calm and able to drink them himself. I can't be fighting him every step of the way."

Abbott was not expecting that. It was rare that a child so young would disregard an authority figure so thoroughly. "Thanks for the warning Agatha. I'll let you know once I calm him down. If it's as bad as you say that may take a few days. Will that be a problem?"

"No that will be fine, young Mr. Dursley is in no immediate danger." Brown said as she lightly squeezed her coworker's shoulder and moved on to complete her rounds.

-o-o-

Kelly Abbott was worried. She had been forced to cast a silencing charm on the screaming Dudley. He had been yelling at the top of his lungs for the past fifteen minutes, and was showing no sign of stopping. Normally she didn't like using magic to treat her patients. More often than not just talking to them, while slower, would produce better and longer lasting results. There was just no help for it in this case, if she didn't do something Dudley would wind up hurting himself with his tantrums. She left momentarily to obtain a calming draught.

Upon returning, she canceled the silencing charm and paralyzed him. Opening his mouth wide, she poured the potion down his throat. After waiting a moment she canceled the full body bind and spoke.

"I understand you've had quite an ordeal young man, but if we are going to get anywhere, you need to cooperate with us at least a little." She calmly said in a soothing tone.

"Why should I do anything for any of you? You're all just freaks, and you've kidnapped me. I want my Mummy and daddy!" Even under the effects of the calming draught Dudley was able to raise his voice and make his disdain palpable.

"You haven't been kidnapped. The aurors were forced to take you into protective custody. Until you are healthy you have been placed in our care." She explained carefully. "Why do you think we are freaks Dudley?"

The large boy sneered. "You're freaks just like my cousin. He makes weird things happen too. He's always causing trouble and decent normal people like me and my parents shouldn't have to put up with it."

Abbott recognized the explanation for what it was, prejudice against magic that likely had been instilled by his parents using that very line again and again.

"Dudley, I don't know if you've been told, but you are a wizard yourself. Just like your cousin, you are magical." She said as gently as she could.

He folded his arms and huffed. "That's what that weird freak in the red dress tried to tell me, but I'm not stupid I know I'm normal."

"You've been performing what we call accidental magic since you arrived here." She said with a small frown. "Just now, your temper tantrum is an example. You were yelling for fifteen minutes strait, and you never took one breath. Furthermore, I imagine your throat isn't sore at all is it?"

Dudley's eyes darted back and forth as he thought furiously. "No, but I've never gotten a sore throat..."

"That's your magic protecting you. When a wizard feels fear or anger strongly, sometimes they lose control of their magic and it acts on its own. Usually the result matches the situation. You were extremely upset and wanted to scream, so your magic let you scream your lungs out without it hurting you." Abbott explained hoping to get through to the boy.

Dudley's eyes grew wide and fearful. Before he could respond, Healer Abbott continued talking.

"I don't expect you to accept this all right away. I'm going to leave you alone for now, but I'll be back tomorrow." She set a small four inch wand on his bedside table. "This is a toy wand meant for small children. I'm not going to tell you what it does, except that it will have a noticeable effect when activated. I want you to play around with it and see if you can make it work."

With that she stood up and walked out the door, leaving Dudley sitting there staring wide-eyed at the toy wand as if it were a dangerous snake ready to bite him.

-o-o-

Kelly Abbott sat down across from Healer Brown in the sixth floor break room. Both healers had been working on slowly healing their two young charges for a week now.

"Well Agatha, how have our guests been handling your tender mercies?" She asked playfully while picking up a scone from a half empty tray.

"Ha, I'll have you know most of my patients find my care to be quite gentle. As for the children, the Potter boy is a sweetheart. Once he calmed down from being brought here in the first place he hasn't been any trouble at all." Brown paused to sip her tea. "On the other hand young Mr. Dursley is a handful. I don't know what you've been doing with that one, but thank you. He started out completely unmanageable, but now he goes back and forth between being a royal pain and merely troublesome."

After taking a bite of her now buttered scone and pouring herself a cup of tea, Abbott smiled. "Well, the biggest hurdle has been convincing Dudley that he is magical. He's been struggling with that revelation all week long. He's not quite ready to admit it to himself yet, but I believe I'm wearing him down."

"What have you been doing to convince him? He's one of the most stubborn wizards I've ever dealt with. I have to explain to him why I'm 'starving' him every meal. He insists that he's a growing boy and shouldn't be denied all the food he wants." Brown said, rolling her eyes when she mentioned starving the boy.

"The key is to let him come to the right conclusion himself. I just give him the tools needed and point him in the right direction. For example I gave him a toy wand, you know the kind that just shoots out cotton balls?" Abbott asked while pantomiming with her hand.

"Of course, kids use them to play aurors and dark wizards. That also explains why I'm assaulted by cotton balls every time I bring him a new potion. Thanks for that by the way." She gave Abbot a flat stare.

She chuckled. "Sorry about that, but it's been a good thing. I didn't tell him how it worked and let him just play around with one. He figured it out on the third day, or maybe he waited until then to even try. Thank Merlin those weak conjurations vanish almost right away, or his room would be filled up by now. He still argues that the wand is magic, not him, but the seed of doubt has been thoroughly planted. Especially since I assured him that to a muggle the wand would just be a useless stick of wood."

Abbott paused and a tight frown appeared on her face. "Now that he's starting to realize that he is a wizard after all, comes the heartbreaking part of my job." She sighed setting down her teacup. "He's been raised to view magic as a bad thing, a thing deserving of punishment. Dudley's soon going to put together that his parents would have treated him like his cousin if they knew. I don't know how he's going to react. I'm afraid he'll take it badly, and I'm not looking forward to watching him fall apart."

Brown placed her hand over Abbott's in a comforting manner. "I don't know how you mind healers handle it, but I do know you'll do fine. You are the best we have." She pulled her hand back, and drained her cup. "I have the easy job here. Both boys will be physically healthy with another week of treatment. They'll still need to keep to a potion a day regimen though. At least until September when they go to Hogwarts. That is, if you think they'll be well enough on your end."

"We'll see, I think they'll be ready but only time will tell." Abbot brightened considerably. "Now Harry is completely different from his cousin. He was never told that he was a wizard, but has latched onto that fact like a lifeline. There's a great deal of trauma from what his aunt and uncle did to him, but he has really started to act like any other eleven year old wizard, well a muggleborn anyway. I'm a bit nervous that he's repressing all those bad memories, but I'm going to try and continue to work with both boys as outpatients. Assuming of course whomever winds up as their guardian allows it."

Abbott finished her own tea, and picked up a biscuit. "I have to say, I think you're one of the reasons he's doing so well."

"What do you mean? All I do is give him disgusting potions, poke and prod him with my wand, and make sure he eats." Brown said with a raised eyebrow.

"The food." She said simply. "In our discussions, half of the time is spent with him telling me how wonderful chicken is, or how delicious chocolate tastes."

"Agatha." She said pointedly. "He's never been allowed to eat a decent meal. He got by on table scraps, and burnt toast. You know how emaciated he was. Every time you bring him a well balanced meal, he sees you as his own personal angel. The only thing that has been better for his recovery, is my assurance that he will never, ever be sent back to live with those monsters again."

"Well, that's enough depressing talk. I still have other patients to tend to, and you aught to be getting back to work yourself." Brown said as she stood up and smoothed out her lime green healer's robes.

"Yes ma'am!" Abbott responded with a mocking salute.

"Oh shove off Kelly, and go do your job." She said rolling her eyes.

-o-o-

Authors Note: I know in the real world psychiatrists aren't supposed to discuss patients even with colleagues. Considering this is not the real world, I've had them adopt a sort of Vegas policy. Whatever happens on the sixth floor, stays on the sixth floor.

Edit: Several people have informed me that I was misinformed about privacy policies. Feel free to simply ignore this authors note.


	3. Who wants Potter?

Authors Note: Here's the third installment. Once again thanks to those following, and those who've reviewed. Let me know what you guys think, any and all input is welcome.

Chapter 3

Who wants Potter?

-o-o-

Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore stood at his podium overlooking the Wizengamot floor, as members poured in for the August session. The past week had been hectic,but he was feeling confident. Over his long tenure as headmaster of Hogwarts, he had made a significant number of valuable allies and contacts. After all, he had been headmaster to, or prior to that, professor to over half of the current Wizengamot. Add the favors he had accumulated over the years working in political circles, and he was certain he wielded the brute force needed to ensure the Boy-Who-Lived would once more be under his control. He may have called in nearly every one of those favors, but he had the votes needed to pass nearly anything today.

Once this nonsense was handled, it would be simple enough to get the Dursleys cleared and Harry back in their care. Admittedly he should have paid closer attention to the family over the past ten years, but hang it all he thought Arabella would have been able to keep an eye on the boy. Apparently his faith in the kneazle breeder was misplaced. He had thought as a squib, she would be better able to keep a close eye on the family that disliked magic so. No matter, he would have a word with the Dursleys once things were back to the way they should be. Certainly they will listen to reason and treat young Mr. Potter better, particularly since he will only need to spend the summer holiday in their care now.

Yes, after today everything will be back to normal. He thought as the doors closed and everyone sat down.

"I call this, the August session of the year 1991 to order." Dumbledore called out, striking his gavel on the podium. "For the first order of business I would like to deal with the issue concerning guardianship of the young Harry Potter."

Lucius Malfoy stood and raised his voice to carry throughout the room. "I find there is a more pressing matter to deal with. I would like to open a debate concerning a vote of no confidence regarding our esteemed Chief Warlock. I have information that calls into question his continued holding of such an august position."

"Surely such a thing is unnecessary Mr. Malfoy." Said Dumbledore in a calm manner. "I would think the future of the Boy-Who-Lived is of paramount importance."

"On the contrary Albus, if your qualifications have been called into question, it is far more important to settle that matter before anything else." Griselda Marchbanks said from her seat. "In such a delicate matter as the Boy-Who-Lived, there must be no question of the Wizengamot's integrity. The debate should occur, we'll all vote, and then you can continue secure in your position."

"I agree." Augusta Longbottom said as she stood. "While I have no doubt that such concerns are unfounded, we cannot have such a question hanging over our heads."

"As do I Albus, let Lucius have his debate. The sooner we put this behind us the sooner we can deal with Potter." Minister Fudge said, motioning for things to move on.

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well. Mr. Malfoy, you have brought the issue to our attention. You may open the debate." This was an unfortunate waste of time, but no matter. He was still confident in the days outcome.

Malfoy grinned in a predatory manner. "My concerns stem from two sources. Both interestingly enough connected to the celebrated Mr. Potter. I have here copies of the wills of both James and Lilly Potter." He held up a stack of parchment. With a wave of his wand the copies sailed around the room, one copy for each member of the Wizengamot. Once everyone had a copy he continued. "As you can see the copies are all certified by Gringots as authentic. I would like to draw everyone's attention to line 17 of Mr. Potter's will and line 14 of Mrs. Potter's."

He waited for a moment to allow everyone to read said lines. "Both wills are quite clear in stating their wishes for guardianship of their son should they both perish. I would like to point out now that while currently both Alice Longbottom and Sirius Black are both incapable, at the time of the Potters' murder, they were both healthy and in good standing with the law. Furthermore if you would continue reading you will note that the muggles that have raised young Mr. Potter are listed as unsuitable. The exact wording is, I believe, 'Under no circumstances should Harry be placed in the care of Petunia and Vernon Dursley.'"

A murmur filled the room as members whispered back and forth over this revelation.

"I ask you Chief Warlock, why would you take it upon yourself to blatantly disregard the Potters' wishes?" Malfoy demanded.

Dumbledore fought the urge to glare. "I had my reasons, and they are as relevant today as they were then."

"Well then, please enlighten us." Madam Bones said as she stood abruptly. "I for one am uncomfortable with what could happen should I die. Would you ignore my will as well? What would that mean for my niece Susan?" She demanded in a frigid tone.

A dull roar built up as the members of the Wizengamot added their own concerns. Dumbledore was forced to slam his gavel repeatedly to return the chamber to silence.

"I assure you all, my dismissal of the late Potters' wishes was not done lightly. It also is a unique situation, one that will not be repeated. I am hesitant to reveal my reasons, not because they are suspect, but because of the delicate nature of that information." Dumbledore said, still maintaining his air of calm.

Tiberius Ogden spoke softly, yet in a commanding fashion that reached every ear. "If this information is so delicate that you hesitate to speak of it, then I move that said information is classified as a state secret. We all know the dire penalties of revealing such information to those without proper clearance. Then you may freely inform us, and we can move on."

"Yes, yes excellent point my good man. I second the motion." Fudge immediately agreed with the aged statesman.

Reluctantly Dumbledore called for a vote. The motion passed, if just barely. He was bitterly regretting the way he had called in his favors earlier. Those who would not normally be counted on to vote with him, had agreed to vote that he retain his position as Harry Potter's magical guardian. Only those firmly loyal to him would vote his way consistently.

"Very well." Dumbledore sighed. "Ten years ago Lilly Potter sacrificed herself to ensure her son's survival. She did so in an obscure and borderline dark manner. Due to the nature of her sacrifice, Harry Potter is protected from harmful magics so long as he is living with those who share his mothers blood. To retain such powerful protection the boy must live with his mother's blood relatives. The only option is the Dursley family, his aunt's family. I believe the blood wards formed have vindicated my decision. I know for certain that on no less than nine separate occasions, said wards repelled dark wizards intending harm upon Mr. Potter."

Bones fixed Dumbledore with a cold flat stare. "I find your reasoning sorely lacking. Both the Black and Longbottom manors are more than suitably warded. Black properties in particular are notoriously well protected. Your decision would be like me blocking a killing curse with a three foot thick block of granite because I felt the two foot one was not good enough. These blood wards may well be the best protection available, but they were not the only way to ensure his protection.

"I believe history has vindicated Albus." Marchbanks pointed out. "After all, the Longbottom wards failed to protect them. My apologies Augusta. As for the Black wards, I think it's quite obvious how that would have turned out."

Madam Longbottom scowled. "I accept your apology as it was intended Griselda, but you are mistaken. The Longbottom wards did not fail. My son and his family were not behind them when they were attacked. If there was any reason at all to believe they would be targeted I would have insisted they move back into Longbottom manor."

"As for the scenario where Black would have gained custody, I believe that is an excellent segue into my second concern." Malfoy drawled, but where most would expect his customary smirk, his face was stony and serious. "It has recently come to my attention that Sirius Black was never actually tried for his crimes. Whether or not he is guilty, what does it say about the character of our Chief Warlock, that he allowed the heir to such an ancient and noble house to be imprisoned without a trial."

Malfoy held his hand up to prevent others from speaking while he closed his eyes and was silent. His eyes opened, and in them was a blazing inferno of righteous indignation. "The ancient and noble house of Black! If such a well respected house can have its son sent away so easily, what protects the rest of us? This is a vile precedent that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore has set." Malfoy cried out, enunciating each of Dumbledore's names slowly and clearly to punctuate his disgust. His rage showing clearly on his face.

The chamber was shocked into complete silence.

Madam Longbottom slowly rose from her seat. "While I imagine Mr. Malfoy and I would argue on the particulars, I find myself agreeing with the point as stated. Well Albus, would you care to explain why you allowed the young Mr. Black to go to Azkaban without the chance to defend himself?"

-o-o-

Except for the occasional whimper, the most secure block in Azkaban prison was always hauntingly silent. Granted when a new prisoner was placed there, they would scream, cry, and make a terrible racket for days, sometimes even weeks. Everyone always grew silent eventually. Everyone sank into a deep pit of despair as the inhuman guards literally ate away their happiness. The corpse-like dementors floated silently past the locked iron cells causing frost to form in their wake. If not for the simple warming runes carved into the stone walls of each cell, the prisoners would all freeze to death. As it is the life expectancy of the average prisoner was less than ten years. Many are driven insane and just stop eating.

In contrast to the usual silence, the sound of footsteps echoed loudly, announcing visitors. The dementors' gave wide birth to the three wizards as they approached their destination. Two wore crimson robes identifying them as aurors, the third wore the more sedate brown, thick woolen robes of the Azkaban warden.

"It's your lucky day filth." The warden spat as he turned a rusty key, unlocking the cell before him. "You get to go on a field trip. Of course afterward they'll likely ship you right back here, so maybe you're not so lucky after all." He laughed while he held the door open for the aurors.

One of the aurors crouched down to look at the prisoner face to face. "Sirius Black?"

The ragged huddled form lifted its head to stare at the auror with empty eyes. His long wavy black hair hung limp and grimy to his drawn face. His sunken features were nearly hidden by an overgrown and equally filthy beard. With a raspy voice that had last been used far too long ago, he spoke. "Have they finally cleared my name? Am I free?" Unused to talking his question ended with a hacking cough that shook his entirely too thin frame.

Without answering, each auror grabbed an arm, and stood the decrepit prisoner up. They half frog marched half dragged him through the prison, pausing only long enough for the warden to unlock, open, and re-lock doors. Upon reaching the small pier on the shore of the island, they led him onto a small ferry. Hardly larger than a dinghy the boat was watched by a pair of wizards in a small guardhouse. Once the prisoner was sat down, one of the guards aimed his wand at him and chains shot out from his seat, binding him securely. Only then did the other guard hand the two aurors their wands that they had checked in upon arriving.

As the ferry made its long journey toward the mainland, one auror remained standing. Slowly scanning the churning water he kept watch. The other sat down opposite the prisoner and stared at him, watching just in case the feeble prisoner of ten years made an attempt at freedom.

Black merely sat there, repeating the same thought over and over that had kept him from going truly insane while trapped in his own mind. 'I'm innocent. I'm innocent. I'm innocent. I'm innocent.' As he silently chanted his mantra, he only hoped that it was actually true, and not a cruel trick of his own cracking mind.

-o-o-

Allowing Malfoy to spearhead the debates against Dumbledore's competency, Madam Bones kept close watch on the members of the Wizengamot. One by one she could actually see the moments when the Chief Warlock's hold on his staunch allies would break, or at least loosen. The conservative Madam Longbottom had proven to be a powerful ally to their own cause. She was causing just as much damage to Dumbledore's position as Malfoy was with his carefully thought out arguments. Perhaps the elderly witch blamed the old goat for the tragedy that had permanently landed her son and daughter in law in Saint Mungo's. Regardless, it was time to end this before Dumbledore could rally and regain support.

"I think we have all heard enough to make a decision." Bones called out. "I move to have the vote of no confidence immediately."

"Seconded!" Madam Longbottom followed up, a cold fury apparent on her face. She had supported the man in the past, but too much had come to light. She was starting to be certain that Dumbledore's machinations were responsible for her son's family not being behind the wards that protected her so well in the last war. If only they had been living in Longbottom Manor, then her dear son would not be a vegetable wasting away in a hospital bed.

Albus Dumbledore was poleaxed. He was so certain everything was under control. How had he failed so spectacularly? The vote to oust him was near unanimous. Only his most unyielding supporters like Elphias Doge had voted in his favor. He had been caught off guard. He had put everything he had into protecting the wrong front. He now had to stop this from snowballing out of control. Now more than ever he **needed** to retain influence on the Boy-Who-Lived. The fate of the wizarding world depended on him, even as it fought tooth and nail against him.

-o-o-

Sirius Black looked down at his new clothes. They were still prisoner garb, but they were clean and in good condition. He was in a ministry holding cell, but by the wide grin on his face one would think he was enjoying the hospitality of the finest accommodations. He had overheard conversation that the head of the DMLE had discovered that he had not gotten a trial, so she had ordered one.

Idly he wondered who the new head was, considering Bartimus Crouch who had been head when he was arrested, was clearly not a she. That didn't matter. The only thing that mattered now was that he was getting a trial. He was going to insist on veritaserum, and then he would be free. He would be free and then, and then, then what? HARRY! Harry needed him! He was going to be free and then he was going to take care of Harry. His godson must be what... four by now... maybe five... Didn't matter, he was going to be free and he was going to raise and protect Harry. He had been stupid going after the rat. Not anymore. He wouldn't fail James again. Once he was free he was going to protect and raise Harry. He was going to be the best damn godfather the world had ever seen. Just a little longer. Just a little longer.

"Hang on Harry, I'm coming." He whispered inaudibly.

-o-o-

"I don't see the point, he's obviously completely 'round the twist." One of the guards posted at Black's cell remarked.

"If they want to waste time giving the madman a trial who are we to argue?" The other said taking a glance in at Black. "You're not wrong though. That smile he's got on is right unnerving. If they do somehow find him not guilty, the healers are going to have their work cut out for them."

-o-o-

It had taken some maneuvering, but Healer Abbott managed to arrange a meeting between Dudley and his parents. The child was insistent that his parents loved him and would never treat him any less than as a prince.

The room was small with a half wall dividing it. A counter top three feet wide sat on the wall, giving the illusion that the room was split by a long table. From the counter to the ceiling, a thick sheet of perforated plexiglass kept the room halves completely segregated. Petunia and Vernon sat at the counter with two aurors in muggle police uniforms guarding them. On the other side of the plexiglass sat Dudley with Healer Abbott behind him, also dressed as a muggle.

Later that day, the actual police would be chagrined to discover that the recording devices for their special interrogation room had shorted out completely and would require replacing.

"Oh my sweet Duddums! What have they done to you? You're nothing but skin and bones." Petunia Dursley demanded, distressed that her son was so much thinner than she remembered. Dudley in fact, was actually a respectably healthy weight now, thanks to the care of Healer Brown.

"I see you've brought our boy back to us. Finally realized he isn't a freak like your lot?" Vernon added.

Ignoring the comment about his weight, Dudley went straight to the point. "Mum, Dad, it turns out they're right. I have magic, like Harry. You still love me right? They keep lying and saying you'd treat me like Harry if you'd known.

"Don't be ridiculous sweetums, you're just as normal as your father and I." His mother stated firmly.

Dudley pulled the toy wand he had been playing with at Saint Mungo's out of his pocket. "No really, watch." With several swishes of the wand Dudley sent cotton balls flying about the room.

Vernon spluttered. "Get rid of that thing Dudley! It's clear they've tried to trick you. That thing is freakish, not you."

At this point Healer Abbott spoke up. "Go ahead and pass it over to your parents Dudley." After he sent the toy rolling through a hole at the bottom of the divider she continued. "That wand will only work for a witch or wizard. You, being non-magical will be unable to use it."

Eying the wand, Vernon slowly picked it up. "Don't think I don't know how this works. You've tricked my boy into using up the last of this thing's ammunition." Copying his son's movements from before, he was unable to get the wand to do anything. "See I knew it. No use trying to trick Petunia and I, we're not as easy to take advantage of as an eleven year old boy." Tossing the wand away with contempt, it rolled back across, stopping in front of Dudley.

Slightly worried now about his dad's reaction, Dudley nervously picked the wand back up and sent four more cotton balls skittering across the counter.

Vernon froze, his eyes wide as saucers. He looked at his son, then up at the witch behind Dudley, finally resting his gaze on his wife. "This is your fault." He hissed through clenched teeth. "There are no freaks on my side of the family."

Petunia was shocked. Internally she compared her beloved son to her hated sister. "No. no. no. no. no. no." She kept shaking her head, unable to cope with the truth.

"Mum, dad?" Dudley quietly started to ask if everything was okay.

"You're no son of mine!" Vernon all but screamed, his face turning purple. "As for you woman, I want a divorce! I should have known better than to go through with the wedding after meeting your freak sister and her lousy husband!" He shouted at his wife, spittle flying as he made no attempt to curb his rage.

Petunia, shut off from the world merely sat there shaking her head and repeating "No." over and over again.

Tears welled up in Dudley's eyes, and he ran from the room slamming the door behind him. Abbott quickly followed after him.

-o-o-

It had cost him nearly everything, but he had done it. While no longer in control of Harry Potter directly, Dumbledore had held on to his position as headmaster of Hogwarts. He had used up every last ounce of good standing he had with those present and sacrificed his position as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederacy of Wizards. This allowed him to convince enough members that it was wearing too many hats that had impaired his judgment. As headmaster, he was still in position to influence the Boy-Who-Lived. All was not lost, and he could guide the boy so that the prophecy could be fulfilled. Voldemort was not truly dead, and Harry was the only chance the wizarding world had. Perhaps if he had not kept such information entirely to himself, it would not have come to this, but the risk was too high. The information was simply too vital to be allowed outside of his tight control.

As he slowly walked out of the Wizengamot chamber and through the ministry, he began reshaping his plans. He was going to be watched closely now, and could not afford to have anything he did misunderstood. First thing first, he had to abandon his plan to entrap Voldemort at Hogwarts. Though certain it would have worked, and that he could keep the children safe, he was sure others would view it as endangering the students. If he still had his political clout he could have weathered the scrutiny easily. Now though, he had to be much more cautious. The replica of Nicholas' stone would have to be hidden outside of the castle. Perhaps deep within the forbidden forest. It of course was too late to abandon the plan entirely. Gringotts had already reported a break in indicating Voldemort had taken the initial bait.

-o-o-

As was customary, the Minister of Magic took over for the Chief Warlock. Until a new Warlock was voted on, Fudge would preside over the Wizengamot.

"Very well then, as the former Chief Warlock had desired, our next order of business should be the placement of Harry Potter with a new guardian." Fudge stated, restarting the Wizengamot session once the doors closed behind Dumbledore. "As you all were told upon entering this closed session, the circumstances surrounding the changing of Potter's guardians are quite delicate. I do not believe it necessary to declare the issue a state secret, but it should still be treated as such for the most part. Amelia, if you would explain the situation."

Standing once more, Bones addressed the Wizengamot. "Harry James Potter had been in the care of his mothers relatives against the wishes of his parents for the past ten years. We now know why it was so important to James and Lilly that Harry not go to that family. As it turns out, the Dursleys are muggles that hate magic, and all things that they view as unnatural. They believed that they could stamp out the wizard in Harry by punishing him every time he did anything remotely resembling magic." She paused to let her words sink in. "There is little evidence of beatings, although there is some. The majority of the abuse came in the form of starvation, neglect, and damaging his self worth. Needless to say, Harry is currently being treated at Saint Mungo's in a secure and private section of the hospital."

Too stunned to respond, the Wizengamot remained silent, and Fudge picked up the explanation. "This likely would have all gone unnoticed except that the Dursley's son turns out to be magical as well. As many of you know, the deputy headmistress hand delivers acceptance letters to muggleborn students. Thankfully Minerva recognized the problem right off and called in the aurors."

"I insist that we send these disgusting muggles off to Azkaban!" Called out an incensed Dolores Umbridge.

"Now Dolores, you know we can't do that." Fudge said while shaking his head. "We have an understanding with the muggle Prime Minister that we leave punishing muggles to them. No sense stirring up the trouble it would cause. You need not worry, our own Ameila Bones has already dealt with the situation. She has assured me that the Dursley's are being punished appropriately by the muggle authorities. Simply stated, they are not our problem."

Moving on before others could voice their outrage, Fudge raised his voice. "What we need to worry about is placing Harry Potter and his cousin in a good safe home where they can learn to be proper wizards."

Madam Longbottom stood immediately. "If the Potter wills had been honored in the first place, I would be taking care of Harry already. It is my duty to take the boys in and care for them."

Darian Greengrass stood as well. "My wife and I would gladly take in the children. We have two of our own near their ages and would be able to provide them a full caring family. No offense meant to you Madam Longbottom, but you would be alone in raising the boys."

Several other witches and wizards stood to either volunteer, or suggest a family. The opportunity to have control over the Boy-Who-Lived motivated those who otherwise would balk at taking in a muggleborn as well. Others were moved more by the prestige that would come. One central theme that did not go unnoticed by Madam Bones, was that everyone was concentrating on Harry Potter. The boys cousin was an afterthought, if remembered at all.

Bones stood and called attention to the problem. "I believe we are all placing too much importance on Harry Potter. Do not misunderstand me, it is imperative that he is placed in the best home for him. What is equally important however, is remembering Harry's cousin Dudley will be raised with him, and also needs to be considered." Inwardly she smirked, noting the number of members who clearly had forgotten that. "There have been many generous offers from well respected pure-blood families, and several suggestions of other such families. I believe many if not all of you would be uncomfortable raising a muggleborn boy. It would be good to remember that even though Mr. Potter is a half-blood, he has been raised as a muggle. For all intents and purposes, whichever family taking in the boys will have to raise two muggleborns."

Fudge chuckled to himself. Several of the more prominent volunteers failed to hide their disgust. He had also not thought of this issue when he had originally suggested Lucius a week ago. "I take it you have a suggestion of your own Amelia, or are you volunteering yourself? I know you have a niece the boys' age that you've been raising."

"While Susan has been a joy to care for, I simply do not have the time to devote to the task. My job takes enough of my attention away from her as it is." Bones answered with a smile. "I do however, have a suggestion. What we need is a family that is both willing to care for a muggleborn, and able to properly teach Harry what he should know as scion of the Potter line. Andromeda Tonks née Black I believe, would be an ideal candidate."

"Come now Madam Bones. While Andromeda was a daughter of the house of Black, it is well known that she was disowned. Surely we can do better than such a disgrace." Malfoy spoke out against the notion.

"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the idea Lucius. She is your wife's sister after all. " Fudge said as he gave the suggestion thought. "Andromeda was disowned because she married a muggleborn. This leads me to believe she would in fact be the perfect solution. As a daughter of the house of Black she would be able to teach young Harry, and his cousin of course, how to be proper wizards. Considering her choice of spouse, she also clearly would have no issue with taking in a muggleborn. The only question I have is will she be interested in raising the two boys. Amelia, you brought it up, do you have an idea?"

"It just so happens that I have recently spoken with Andromeda. She has, as some may know, a daughter entering her seventh year at Hogwarts. She told me that she has not been looking forward to an empty nest." What Amelia did not share, was that the discussion she referenced involved her asking Andromeda directly if she and her husband Ted would be willing to take in Harry and Dudley. Both Andromeda and Ted were willing and even eager to have children around the house again. "I believe she would accept should we ask her to raise the boys."

After deliberation including a few more suggestions ranging from the Weasley family to Dumbledore himself. (Elphias Doge was firmly and forever Dumbledore's man.) The list of potential guardians was whittled down to three: Darian Greengrass, Amos Diggory, and Andromeda Tonks. It was finally decided that Tonks was an acceptable compromise for many of the reasons Fudge had cited before. Light members would have liked Amos better, whereas dark members leaned more toward Darian. Both sides much preferred the compromise over the other side's candidate.

Fudge smiled. "Excellent. Now then, barring Andromeda turning down guardianship, we have our solution. What is the next order of business then?"

"A trial for Black!" A voice called out, but was drowned out before the speaker was recognized by shouts of agreement demanding a trial.

Fudge frowned. "Yes, while I find entertaining the thought that Sirius Black is innocent quite preposterous, we simply cannot have such a poor precedent hanging over our heads. Very well, are there any opposed to such a trial?"

Silence

Glancing around the chamber, Fudge noted no opposition. "Motion for a trial passes unopposed. Amelia, see to it that Black is brought in for trial at the earliest possible date. We will get this over with immediately."

Nodding, Bones responded. "I have already taken the liberty of transferring him to a ministry holding cell. Once the healers give him the once over, he'll be fit for trial. I imagine it will only be a matter of days."

"Good, I believe such a trial should be handled by a simple tribunal. There is no need to draw the public's attention by convening the entire Wizengamot. It is a black mark, if you will excuse my unintentional pun, on our society that this trial did not occur ten years ago." Fudge waited a moment for any objection. "Now that we have critical issues dealt with, let us move on to less pressing matters."

-o-o-

Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley sat facing each other under the watchful eye of Healer Abbott. Neither one wanting to be the first to speak.

After the unfortunate but necessary meeting with his parents, Dudley no longer fought her treatment. She felt it was the perfect time to get the two boys to interact, and hopefully connect.

"No one is expecting you to become the best of friends, but like it or not you are family. In a few days your new guardian will come to meet with you both. Her name is Andromeda Tonks. She is a pure-blood, and she is married to a muggleborn. Between the two of them they'll be able to introduce you to the magic world gently, and properly. Hopefully by the time she comes here you two will at least be talking to one another." Abbott said hoping to prompt conversation, if not between the children then with her. With luck, if they both are talking to her, they'll end up talking with each other anyway.

"What's all this muggle and blood stuff anyway?" Dudley asked.

"Good question Dudley. A muggle is what we call someone who is not magical, like your parents. Muggleborn means a witch or wizard who's parents are muggles, like you. I'm a muggleborn as well, which means both my parents are muggles. A pure-blood would be a witch or wizard who's parents and grandparents are all magical. Your father was a pure-blood Harry, and your mother was a muggleborn." She explained.

"What does that make me then?" Asked Harry.

She smiled at him. "You would be a half-blood. A half-blood is a witch or wizard who has at least one muggle and one pure-blood as a parent or grandparent. Since you have two muggle grandparents you would be considered a half-blood."

"Can magical parents have a muggle kid?" Harry further questioned.

"Not exactly." Abbott said slowly. "When magical parents have a non-magical child that child is a squib. A squib is a little different than a muggle. Squibs do have magic, just not very much, and definitely not enough to use a wand. Muggles don't have any magic."

Dudley made a face as he thought, then asked, "Which is better?"

"Pardon?" She wasn't quite sure what he meant.

"Which is better: muggleborn, half-blood, or pure-blood?" He clarified.

Understanding, she answered. "That's a good question for you to ask your new guardian. I will say this much, the only real differences I've found are political. Mrs. Tonks is far more qualified to explain the ins and outs of blood purity."

"He just wants you to say muggleborn is best so he can prove he's better than me." Harry said carefully, eying his cousin in case Dudley decided to jump over and hit him.

She sighed as she looked at the two boys, enmity clear between them. "Alright, let's not walk down that road. Instead of worrying who's the better wizard, concern yourselves with becoming the best wizard you can be."

Seeing that neither boy was interested in moving the conversation along, Abbott pulled out a bag containing two sets of gobstones. She explained the rules of the game and sat back as they competed in a more positive manner. If she couldn't get them to talk without hostility, perhaps she could get them playing instead.

Being little boys, they both found the concept of marbles that spat on the loser to be brilliant. For the rest of their session with Healer Abbott, they played the magic game, and for a while anyway, were just two kids having fun.

-o-o-


	4. Meet the family

Authors Note: I'm humbled by the positive reactions I've been getting for my story. I'll do my best to maintain and hopefully improve quality. You guys keep reading and reviewing, and I'll keep writing and improving.

Update: Fixed minor typos that were brought to my attention.

Chapter 4

Meet the family.

-o-o-

Harry and his cousin Dudley stood, fidgeting uncomfortably in their new robes. Both healers, Brown and Abbott had insisted they dress smartly for when they meet their new guardian. While no more comfortable than Dudley in the dress-like wizard wear, Harry objected much less than his cousin. Dudley was fearful that he'd be mistaken for a poof wearing what he thought were obviously girls clothes. He finally gave in after being shown the differences between girls robes and boys robes. While the outer robes were mostly the same for both sexes, the inner robes were clearly cut and worn differently.

Healer Brown waited with them, but stood off to the side along the back wall. She wanted to stay out of the way as her two patients met their new guardian. While waiting, she noted the changes in the two boys thanks to her care. Harry had started to fill out, and was now thin as opposed to emaciated. Dudley's change was even more extreme; now instead of looking like a beached whale, he could be described as merely husky.

The boys' attention was drawn to the door as a tall aristocratic witch strode purposefully into the room. Her light brown hair was tied back elegantly, her chin held high she looked every bit the upper-class noblewoman. If not for her soft caring eyes one could mistake her for cold and unfeeling. As it was, both Harry and Dudley felt very nervous in the commanding presence of the beautiful witch.

Her mouth broke into a warm smile, and she bent down to be eye level with the children. She noted which boy had the famous lightning bolt scar, but was careful to not draw attention to her observation. "Hello there, my name is Andromeda Tonks. I will be taking care of you two. My husband Ted and I will help both of you ease into our society, and learn what it means to be a wizard."

"Um Mrs. Tonks?" Harry started, while working out how to phrase his question.

"Please dear, call me Andy. There's no need to be formal." She said, directing her request at both boys.

Harry quickly glanced over at his cousin, then back to Andromeda. "Um. Okay. Uh, Andy? Why are me and Dudley both staying with you?"

"Dudley and I." She corrected automatically. "I'm afraid I don't understand. Why wouldn't you both want to stay together?"

"'Cause we don't like each other." Dudley answered churlishly, wishing he could express his dislike of his cousin better. Healer Abbott did not tolerate all of the names he liked to call Harry, and Healer brown was even more severe. The last time he had called Harry a freak, Brown had pointed her wand at him and his mouth filled with soap suds. It wasn't an experience he was eager to try again.

Harry looked at his cousin. "Yeah. Something like that." Harry was more inclined to say he hated Dudley. Although ever since they'd come to this hospital, his cousin had restrained his worst tendencies. Thinking on it, Harry figured that was probably because the two healers never allowed them to be alone together.

Andromeda observed Harry and Dudley all but glaring at each other with distaste. She then turned her attention to the healer in the background. "I was under the assumption that they got along well. I believe when I talked with Healer Abbott last, she said that they were enjoying playing various games together."

Slightly embarrassed about the miscommunication, Brown defended her colleague. "Their relationship has improved, but they do have a ways to go. They do set aside their problems to enjoy a game. I'm sorry if you were given the wrong impression."

"Does this mean you don't want us?" Harry asked, staring at his shoes.

Looking back at the boys, Andromeda was shocked to see how dejected Harry looked. Dudley too had an air of depression. "Now I didn't say that dear. I was just surprised is all. My family is a very loving one, and there is more than enough to share with the both of you." She ignored the voice in the back of her head that asked just when the last time she spoke with her sisters was. "I do want the two of you to be friends, but we'll see if that doesn't come with time."

Healer Brown stepped forward holding a parchment, a quill, and a small case. "I can see you have everything under control Mrs. Tonks. I just need you to sign their release here, and I can get back to my other patients."

"Of course." She took the parchment and offered quill. After reading over the details, she signed and handed back the parchment. "I take it that case in your hands contains the potions mentioned in the release?"

Brown exchanged the case for the signed parchment, and took back her quill. "Yes, it has a weeks worth of nutrient potions. There's also the directions for brewing it yourself when you run out. It's a fairly simple potion, so long as you got an OWL in potions you should have no trouble with it. Make sure that both Harry and Dudley take one per day until school starts. After that, the school matron should give them the once over. I trust Madam Pomfrey's judgment on whether they need to continue the regimen. Dudley should be all set by then, but I would not be surprised if Harry will still need another week or two."

Andromeda schooled her features at the implication of needing nutrient potions for so long. That level of malnutrition would be expected for someone released from Azkaban, not a child just entering his school years. She had been informed of the neglect and abuse both boys had suffered whether intentional or not. This though, worried her. She made a note to inform Ted, and to make sure Nymphadora was on her best behavior around the boys.

Instead of outwardly reacting at her revelation, she merely nodded. "After we get the boys settled in, I'll floo Healer Abbott and see about follow up appointments. Is that acceptable?"

She was a little taken aback, surprised that a pure-blood was interested about continuing mind healing, even if just for her charges. Brown rallied swiftly, and agreed that would be fine before moving on to do her rounds.

Watching the healer walk away, Andromeda turned to the children now under her care. "Well now, lets get out of here. No sense staying in a hospital any longer than you have to."

Her warm smile put them at ease, and the two cousins followed as she lead them down to the fireplaces on the ground floor.

-o-o-

Sirius Black sat chained to a simple chair before a Wizengamot tribunal. His eyes were blank, and his head lolled off to the side. Mouth hanging slightly open, the veritaserum had yet to wear off. The tribunal was stunned. Speechless they forgot momentarily to have the guard administer the antidote.

Shaking his head to bring himself back to the situation at hand, Tiberius Ogden had the guard give Sirius the truth serum's antidote. "We will deliberate on this... surprising information. If you have anything further to say in your defense, now is the time." He said while making sure his fellow judges were paying attention once more.

"All I can say is that I bitterly regret my suggestion to have that traitorous filth Pettigrew be the secret keeper. I also never should have chased after the rat." Tears began to roll down his cheek. "I failed James and Lilly. I failed Harry."

Tactfully ignoring the grieving wizard, the tribunal quietly conferred.

"It is possible to defeat veritaserum. He still could be lying, an elaborate act perhaps?"

"Maybe if he had just been captured, but after ten years in Azkaban? There's no way his mind is strong enough to resist the potion."

"One could argue that Azkaban addled his mind. It could be a fiction he's convinced himself is reality."

"Pettigrew is the key. If Black is telling the truth, then he is still alive. His finger should still be preserved as evidence, so all we need to do is have someone use it to divine his location."

Ogden looked at the other two judges to confirm their agreement with the plan. "We are agreed then, if Pettigrew lives then Black is innocent. If he is dead then Black returns to Azkaban."

After receiving two nods of affirmation, Ogden turned to address Sirius. "We shall postpone our verdict until your story has been verified. This tribunal will reconvene tomorrow morning at ten." He punctuated his statement by striking with his gavel.

-o-o-

"You want us to jump into a fire?!" Exclaimed a very nervous Dudley.

"There's nothing to worry about; floo travel is perfectly safe. I'll set it up, you boys walk through one at a time, and I'll follow right behind. When the fire is green it can't burn you." Andromeda said as she gathered a pinch of floo powder and tossed it into the flames.

Seeing the yellow orange flames turn green and noting the lack of heat, Harry got excited about the obvious magic involved. "I'll go first." He stepped in front of Dudley, ready to walk into the magic fire.

"Tonks' Cottage." She said clearly, and motioned for Harry to go.

After his cousin safely vanished through the flames, Dudley felt better about the prospect of floo travel. Once Andromeda reset the fireplace, he walked through without further comment.

-o-o-

Ted Tonks stood by the fireplace with his daughter Nymphadora. They waited patiently for the new additions to the family to arrive.

Having originally been a muggle house, the fireplace in the Tonks' home had been located in the family room. After having a rather intimate moment interrupted by a floo call early in their marriage, Andromeda had convinced Ted to move the fireplace to the entryway where it should be. It hadn't taken much convincing, merely pointing out there wouldn't be anymore intimate moments at all until the problem was fixed. Needless to say, as a newlywed Ted was quick to cater to his wife's request. Instead of outright moving the fireplace, he installed a second one. The new one he made sure was full height for easier travel. The old one he made sure was disconnected from the floo network. He double checked.

The flames suddenly flared green, and a small boy shot out of the fire. He slid across the floor, and Nymphadora was forced to jump to the side to avoid being bowled over. At least that's what she tried to do. She didn't quite clear the boy projectile, and he barreled into her leg causing her to tumble wildly.

Green flames again disgorged a young boy. This time the boy in question merely stumbled and fell over, catching himself by landing on all fours.

Flashing for a third and final time, Andromeda gracefully stepped out of the flames. She was unsure of what to make of the sight that greeted her. Her husband was bent over laughing hysterically, Dudley was on his hands and knees gaping at his cousin's misfortune, and the focal point of the whole scene: her daughter and Harry were a tangled mass of limbs writhing on the ground attempting to separate.

By the time Andromeda managed to help Harry to his feet, the poor boy was bright red with embarrassment. Ted had managed to contain his laughter, and had helped Dudley stand up.

Nymphadora remained sitting on the ground. Cheeks tinged with a blush, she was trying to figure out what exactly had just happened. Here she was about to enter her seventh year at Hogwarts, ready to excel with her NEWTs to get into the auror program, and she gets blindsided by an eleven year old. About to start yelling at her dad for laughing at her, she noticed how mortified the boy who knocked her over looked. Shrugging, she stood up and closed her eyes for a second to contain herself.

"Sorry about that squirt. I wasn't expecting you to come out of the floo so quickly. You okay?"

Seeing that Harry was still too embarrassed to respond, Andromeda laid a hand on his shoulder squeezing gently. "It's okay Harry, that's not the worst exit from a fireplace I've ever seen. My daughter has had a few good ones herself."

"Mom!" Nymphadora cried in outrage.

Holding his hands up to draw attention to himself Ted spoke. "All right lets get introductions out of the way, then we can show you boys where you'll be living from now on. You've already met my wife of course. My name is Edward, but you can call me Ted. Then we have our daughter Nymphadora." He gestured at each person in turn as he introduced his family. Nymphadora winced when her name was mentioned.

"I take it that you are Harry Potter." Ted said while smiling at the still red boy. "That leaves you who must be Dudley Dursley, right? Welcome to our home boys."

-o-o-

Amelia Bones was surprised to say the least. She hadn't really thought Black had been innocent, yet here she was digging through decade old boxes of evidence at the request of a Wizengamot tribunal. She decided she really needed to get someone to organize the sealed evidence better. Everyone was so used to using magic to find whatever they needed, that the boxes were all haphazardly strewn about the room. It would be so simple to just summon the right box, but there were some truly volatile items in some of these boxes. Using magic around them was too great a risk. After nearly pulling her hair out it exasperation, she finally found what she was looking for.

After removing Pettigrew's finger from deep storage, re-sealing the evidence box, and dressing down the archivist for allowing the room to get so disorganized; she headed down to the department of mysteries.

-o-o-

In the center of the room, two hooded figures hunched over a severed finger. The finger was in the center of an array of runes which glowed seemingly at random. The two unspeakables argued in hushed tones over what the pattern meant. Meanwhile Amelia stood off to the side waiting patiently for an answer.

Finally one of the unspeakables walked over to her. "One thing is certain. Whomever that finger belongs to is alive. Unfortunately there is something preventing us from giving you even a direction to search for this man. It's almost as if the missing person is no longer human."

"An animagus perhaps?" Bones asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's possible, maybe even likely. I can't say for sure. All I can say is the target is alive, and their body no longer matches this finger." He responded shrugging in apology. "If it's important we can try a few other methods, but I can't promise success."

"If they are still alive, then there is a very good chance they are responsible for numerous crimes, including murder." She informed him. "If you can find anything, let me know. I need to present this information to the Wizengamot.

-o-o-

The Tonks' house was not particularly large, so the grand tour did not take long. Ted walked around his home, showing Harry and Dudley where everything was. From the entryway they were led into the kitchen/dining area where Ted pointed out the round wooden table where they would be eating meals. Before moving on, he pointed out a small bathroom next to the doorway to the entryway. Strait through the kitchen/dining area was a step-down family room with several comfy chairs and a couch all facing a cheerfully lit fireplace. A door led from the family room out to a stone patio where Ted said he would barbecue when the weather was nice. Walking back to the dining area, they entered a hallway that contained five doors. The first door on the left was Nymphadora's room. Ted joked that the boys best not try to look in there, they might not make it out alive it was so messy.

"I heard that dad! Don't forget I'm seventeen now and can hex what hair you have left off that head of yours."

Chuckling Ted continued the tour by pointing out that the doors on the right belonged to Harry and Dudley's rooms. Both rooms were identical, so it didn't matter which boy chose which room. Harry ended up taking the first room, Dudley the one further down the hall. The second door on the left was the loo that the two boys had to share with Nymphadora. Finally they were told the last door at the end of the hall led upstairs to Ted and Andromeda's bedroom.

"Well that's it. It's not much, but it's home. Any questions?"

Harry shook his head, but Dudley spoke up. "What about all my stuff?"

"Well, for tonight you'll have to do without, but tomorrow we can stop by your old house and gather up anything you two want to keep. We already bought you both the basics: toiletries and the like. I want you both to think about anything in particular you would like, and we'll go shopping after we grab all your things." Ted explained. "For now, feel free to wander around. I'll have dinner ready in an hour."

-o-o-

Harry woke up with a start. This in and of itself was not strange. Usually he woke up because of a nightmare, a woman screaming and flashing green lights. Tonight though he wasn't sure what woke him. He thought maybe he heard something, but wasn't certain. He swung his legs out from under the covers and slipped his feet into the slippers he'd been given. He'd also been given a couple sets of comfy pajamas, he'd never had either before. The thin hospital issue stuff didn't count, those weren't actually his.

He marveled at how big his room was as he carefully walked toward the door. This place was easily ten, no twenty times bigger than his old cupboard. Suddenly he heard the noise again. It seemed to be coming from Dudley's room. Harry moved over to the wall that separated their rooms, and pressed his ear against it.

Pulling back from the wall as if it had burned him, Harry rushed back into bed. Throwing himself under the covers, he thought about what he had just heard: Dudley was crying. Harry of course had heard Dudley cry before, but it had always been fake and in front of an audience in order to get something he wanted. As far as Dudley knew, no one could hear him now, so his tears couldn't gain him anything.

Harry had no idea why his cousin was crying, but he knew for sure that he must never let Dudley know he had overheard him. With thoughts of avoiding Dudley's wrath, Harry forced himself to go back to sleep.

-o-o-

Dudley was a tough kid, tough enough that he'd been leader of his gang back in Little Whinging. Sure in front of his parents he would act all soft and sensitive, but in reality he was not used to feeling... well... feelings. Everything since they took him away from his parents had happened so fast that he never had the time to register any of it, except maybe at the hospital. No, the hospital was enemy territory. There was always someone checking in on him, always someone trying to get him to show weakness. He couldn't drop his guard there. Healer Abbott had tried to get him to open up, but he'd either blown her off completely, or fed her something made up that she wanted to hear. Now he was completely alone in his new room, with only his thought for company.

He wanted to go home, his home. He wanted things to go back to the way they were. He was the big man, in charge, in control. His parents loved him and did whatever he wanted, and the freak was there for him to torment for fun. He wanted so badly to go back to his parents. Except he couldn't. His parents didn't want him anymore.

Tears began to slide down Dudley's cheeks without him realizing it. He was having difficulty dealing with the difference between what he wanted to be real, and what was real.

His parents had as much as said that they would have treated him just like his cousin if they had known he was a freak too. The freak... Harry was denied food a lot as punishment for being unnatural. Now Dudley was unnatural. His dad had encouraged him when he would beat up Harry. His dad even gave him ideas sometimes on how to hurt Harry without leaving marks. He wondered who his dad would have encouraged to beat him up. It wasn't fair! He knew his parents hated him now, but he still loved them.

Another thing: How come Harry could handle all these changes so well? He was magic too, shouldn't all of this come easy to him as well? Fireplaces that teleported you across the country, magic potions that supposedly healed you, and crazy doctors casting spells that filled your mouth with soap. Not to mention that damn magic wand that proved to his parents that he was a freak. His cousin would just get this magic stuff no problem, like it was normal to him. Why couldn't Harry be suffering too?

Dudley spent most of the night sobbing into his pillow, unable to stop feeling sorry for himself. The same thought kept coming back to him, racing around his head: He loved his parents, but they hated him.

-o-o-

Harry still woke early, a habit formed because he would have to cook breakfast for the Dursleys. Putting on his slippers he shuffled out of his room, making a quick stop at the loo before heading into the kitchen.

"Morning Harry." Ted greeted him cheerfully.

Harry was surprised to find Ted already up and dressed. The jovial man was well into cooking breakfast, and looked to be nearly done. "Good morning sir, I mean Ted."

Sliding several fried eggs onto a series of already full plates, Ted smiled at Harry. "Well, breakfast is ready, and you're the only one here. Would you mind waking your cousin and my daughter up?"

Harry froze. After what he heard last night, waking up Dudley was high up on his list of things he did not want to do at all. "Um..."

Seeing Harry's reluctance, and remembering that his wife said the two cousins didn't get along well, Ted took pity on him. "I'll tell you what, why don't you wake Dora up, and I'll get your cousin."

Still seeing reluctance Ted reassured Harry. "Don't worry, I was just joking around last night about her room. She's real easy to wake up. Just open the door and throw the first soft thing you find in there at her head. I usually don't have to take more than a single step before I find something good to bean her with." Ted knew Nymphadora hated being woken up that way, but since she woke up so slowly Harry would have ample time to escape before she retaliated.

"Okay." He turned around, and stepped up to the door to Nymphadora's room. The door itself had a sign on it that read - **Tonks** ' Room-. Confused about the sign, Harry decided he would ask her about it later.

First Harry tried knocking on the door, then he knocked much louder when he didn't hear a response. Still no sound from inside, he tentatively opened the door and peeked inside. Ted wasn't exaggerating too much. The room was a mess and there was hardly any visible floor space, just a path from the door to the bed. Nymphadora was sleeping on her stomach with her head turned toward the door. She was on top of her covers and was wearing full pajamas similar to the ones he'd been given.

"Hello? Your dad asked me to wake you up." He called out, raising his voice but not yelling.

He realized that he had no choice but to follow Ted's advice or walk over and shake her awake. He bent down and picked up a stuffed badger the size of a bed pillow, and lobbed it across the room. The badger spun end over end, and hit her dead on in the face. Immediately she woke up flailing and grumbling incoherently. As Harry watched her tumble off the side, he jumped back and closed the door quickly. He heard the thud of her landing on the floor followed by swearing, and rushed back to the safety of the dining area where Ted and Dudley were already seated at the large round table.

Dudley's eyes were red and puffy, but Harry pretended not to notice. He just hoped Nymphadora didn't realize that he'd been the one to wake her. Just in case, he made sure to sit down in a chair that faced the hallway. That way he would see her coming if she was angry.

Ted had also noticed that Dudley had been crying. He decided to take Dudley aside later on and see what he could do to make the young boy feel better.

-Crack- Nymphadora suddenly appeared behind her father holding the badger that Harry had thrown at her. She proceeded to beat her dad about the head and shoulders with the stuffed toy. "You – know – how – much – I – hate – that!" Each strike serving to punctuate her words.

Ted was chuckling while he made a token effort to defend himself, Dudley for a moment forgot his own problems while he tried to understand what was happening, and Harry nearly fell out of his chair he was so surprised at Nymphadora appearing out of thin air.

With a "humph" she sat down between her father and Harry, grabbed a plate of food, and started eating. Pausing after swallowing, she leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear. "I know you did it, but you're new so you get a pass. Next time, just turn on the bloody light."

Harry paled slightly, and nodded fervently in agreement. He couldn't run away from someone who could appear suddenly out of nowhere, so he would have to stay on her good side.

Sitting back up, she turned to her dad. "Where's mum?"

"Your mother had to go back to Saint Mungo's to fill out some paperwork or something like that. I'm not sure why exactly." He said between bites.

-o-o-

"I thought everything was settled with my taking custody of Harry and Dudley. Why did you need to see me?" Andromeda asked the nervous wizard at the Saint Mungo's reception desk.

The receptionist fumbled through a stack of parchment. "I'm sorry I don't know what you mean. I don't have anything here about that."

"Then why did I receive an owl asking that I come here this morning? The letter didn't write itself." She glared at the young man who was desperately searching for something relevant.

"Please don't scare the poor child Andy, I had that owl sent. I'll explain the new situation while we head to the sixth floor." Madam Bones said as she walked up to and past Andromeda.

Surprised, Andromeda followed Bones, and caught up quickly. "What's going on Amelia, you said there were two boys who needed healing and a home. Don't tell me there's a third I missed."

Bones laughed. "Ha. In a way I suppose there is. I have every reason to believe that later this morning your cousin Sirius will be found innocent of his accused crimes. After so long in Azkaban, he'll need time here. Afterword, I was wondering if you would keep an eye on him and help him fit back into society. If I remember correctly you two were somewhat close."

Andromeda stared at her friend intensely. "You're not joking are you. He's innocent? What... How... Why is this coming out now?"

Shaking her head in disgust, she answered. "Ministry oversight at best, intentional coverup at worst. Andy, Sirius never got a trial. As soon as this was brought to my attention, I forced the Wizengamot to agree to one. Believe it or not, Minister Fudge and Lucius Malfoy were the ones who really made it happen. It turns out his friend Pettigrew was the real traitor, and framed Sirius while faking his own death. I believe the ministry is going to try and keep the whole debacle quite to avoid embarrassment, so I'd appreciate your discretion as well."

Andromeda stopped while trying to process what she had just been told. "I don't even know where to start. Never mind I'll deal with all that later. I need to talk it over with Ted, but I think we'll be able to help him. It should help that the children will be off to Hogwarts soon enough, maybe even before the mind healers are done with Sirius."

"Good, now we just have to deal with the paperwork, and warn the poor healers of who's headed their way."

-o-o-

Authors Note: I glossed over Sirius' interrogation for a couple reasons. We've all read the same trial over and over throughout various other fics, and I felt no need to rehash the same questions and answers we all know. The other reason is, while Sirius is an important character, he is not a main character in this story. I don't want to spend too much time away from Harry and Dudley. The first few chapters were necessary setup, but I want to focus mainly on scenes containing the two boys.

Also, I know in canon Ted calls his wife Dromeda, but that just sounds awful to me. Andy is a much better nickname, Dromeda sounds like a type of camel.


	5. You can't go home again

Authors Note: I no longer have any control over the story. It's writing itself now, and I'm along for the ride as much as you are.

I try to respond to every review, but I can't do that if you don't sign in when reviewing. If you have a question or correction I'll still try to address it, even if I can't just send you a PM.

To RAZ reviewing chapter 1: This story isn't meant to be bashing Dumbledore, or anyone else for that matter. (Well okay, I've made the Dursleys into even worse people than their canon counterparts.) Dumbledore has taken a beating early in the story, but this is a result of his own actions from canon. I'm attempting to show Dumbledore as a well meaning good man who has made a few bad judgment calls. Further into the story he'll likely redeem himself.

To anola reviewing chapter 4: I fixed the typo you pointed out, and addressed your other concern in this chapter.

-o-o-

Chapter 5

You can't go home again.

-o-o-

The trip to gather belongings and later go shopping had originally been planned for the day after the boys were brought home from Saint Mungo's, but had been postponed to allow the whole family time to acclimate to the new arrangement. Dudley's complaints about not having his stuff were countered with the fact that he'd not have most of his possessions once he was at Hogwarts anyway. Harry didn't seem to mind the delay at all which Ted found a little strange.

During this period of acclimation, Andromeda and Ted got used to making sure that both Harry and Dudley took their prescribed nutrient potions. At first there was a little confusion as to which potion went to which boy since they all looked the same. After a quick floo call to Healer Brown, they learned that the potions were all the same. Brown explained that they both were malnourished, it was just more obvious with Harry. Apparently Dudley's diet under the care of his parents consisted mostly of fatty foods and sugary sweets. Even though he was enormous, his body was still dangerously malnourished when he'd been admitted.

After three days, It was decided that Ted and Nymphadora would take Harry and Dudley out on the promised errand. While the rest of the family was busy, Andromeda would ensure everything was in order regarding the boys entering Hogwarts. She would check with the school itself to confirm enrollment and her new roll as their guardian. She also was headed to Gringotts to make certain that tuition was going to be handled properly.

-o-o-

Number 4 Privet Drive was deserted. Vernon and Petunia Dursley were still in jail awaiting their trial, and their house was locked up and sealed by the police pending the results of said trial. Such circumstances normally would mean nobody could retrieve anything from inside until the legal matters were taken care of. To a fully trained wizard however, the locks and police tape may as well have been a polite sign requesting no one enter for all the good they did.

After taking the Knight Bus to Little Whinging; Ted, Harry, Dudley, and Nymphadora had strolled up to the boys' former home. Using notice-me-not charms to keep them hidden from muggle eyes, Ted let his daughter grant them entry with a simple unlocking charm.

Ted Tonks being muggleborn, almost felt bad about technically trespassing and burglarizing the house, almost. He had a rough idea about what had happened to the boys under the 'care' of Dudley's parents, and it sickened him. Add the fact that they were just taking what belonged to the boys anyway, and Ted really didn't care that they were breaking muggle laws.

Once inside, Dudley ran upstairs to pack up the things he felt he had to have. Ted was about to follow him up to help when he noticed Harry wasn't going anywhere.

"Don't you want to gather all your clothes and toys to bring home with you?" Ted asked him, figuring the meek boy needed assurance that he was allowed to take all his things. "I understand if you want a fresh start, but surely there's something you want to keep."

Harry stared at his feet. "Not really, I don't have anything worth saving."

"Nonsense, Dora why don't you help Harry go through his things and I'll give Dudley a hand. You remember the shrinking charm right?" He asked his daughter while he began climbing the stairs.

Rolling her eyes she answered. "Yes dad. I did pass my OWLs you know." Shaking her head at her parent's refusal to see her as a capable adult, she turned to Harry. "So squirt where's your room?"

Harry didn't respond at first, but just as Nymphadora was going to say something he pointed at the cupboard underneath the stairway.

Confused She swung open the cupboard door and started to ask what sort of stuff was stored there. "What, you got something here that didn't fit in... your... room."

Not believing what she was seeing, Nymphadora stuck her head into the cupboard and looked around. There was a worn crib mattress on the floor with a moth eaten blanket on top. In the small nook toward the bottom of the stairs there was a small pile of broken toys: half melted army men, an action figure without any arms or a head, and several broken crayon pieces. While leaning back out of the cupboard she noticed, written on the underside of the stairs in shaky crayon letters, 'HARRYS ROOM.' Horrified, she looked at the boy in question, and he was shaking slightly. His cheeks were tinged red with embarrassment, and tears were starting to form at the corners of his tightly shut eyes.

Immediately she rushed over to him and enveloped him in a hug. "I'm so sorry Harry. It's okay. It's okay. Let's get out of here, I promise you never have to come back ever again okay?" She drew back slightly to try and look him in the eyes.

Opening his watery emerald eyes, he saw nothing but concern in her own eyes. No anger, no pity, no disgust, just concern. Nodding, he quietly said. "'Kay"

After hugging him tightly again, she stood up and yelled up the stairs. "I'm taking Harry back home now okay?"

"What about shopping?" Ted's voice came back down the stairs.

Glancing at the shaken boy she called back up. "I'll take him when I get my school supplies in a day or two."

Not quite understanding why his daughter wanted to cut the day short, but trusting her whether she believed it or not, he replied. "Sure, go ahead. I'll get Dudley squared away and meet you back home."

"Don't cut things short on our account dad, go ahead and get everything he needs. Don't worry I'll take care of Harry." Not waiting for another reply, she ushered Harry out of the house and called the Knight Bus back.

Ignoring the conductors comment about it being a quick stop, she handed him a galleon and five sickles while mentioning their destination. She carefully led Harry back to an empty section of the bus, settling them both in the armchairs there before the bus shot off.

-o-o-

A few minutes earlier:

Ted followed the sound of drawers opening and closing, which led him to a decent sized bedroom. Dudley's old room here was a bit bigger than his new one at home. Ted walked through the door as Dudley slammed the last dresser drawer shut with a scowl on his face.

"Whoa there, what did that poor dresser ever do to you?" Ted asked, slightly taken aback.

"Everything is too big now! I can't keep any of my clothes." Dudley said sulking slightly. "I guess I'll leave the clothes, and just take all my other stuff."

Ted looked around the room noting how packed it was with toys and games. "Hmm. Well, since you are starting over in a sense, why don't you take this time to figure out what you really want to keep and what you don't mind leaving behind. There's no point in taking anything that needs to be plugged in anyway. There's no electricity in the wizarding world."

Dudley looked at ted horrified, his mouth hanging open. "What do you mean no electricity? How do you watch the telly then?"

"We don't." He said simply. "Electricity acts strangely around magic, so there's no point in using anything that requires it."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Dudley tried to recall if he'd seen any electronics at the Tonks home. "Wait, no. You're lying! You have lights and stuff. You've got a fridge too. All that stuff needs to be plugged in."

Before he could respond, Ted heard his daughter call up about heading out with Harry. "One moment Dudley." He said holding up his hand to prevent argument.

After a confusing conversation yelled back and forth with Nymphadora, Ted turned back to Dudley. "Okay, where were we? Right, I've got it, electricity. The house was originally muggle, so it does have outlets and such, but they aren't live. The fridge is enchanted to keep food the right temperature. Not only that, but anything put into the fridge is perfectly preserved until you take it out. Much less waste than you get the muggle way. As for the lights, take a closer look when we get back. They're gas lights. I carved runes on the switches and matched ones on the lights, so when you flip the switch it turns the light on and off."

Dudley stood there speechless.

"Remember Dudley, I'm muggleborn as well. When I was your age I had to get used to no electricity too. While there are things like a telly that we don't have a magical equivalent for, there are a lot of great things that we have that muggles don't." Ted looked thoughtful for a moment. "Honestly once I started my first year at Hogwarts, I forgot all about the things I had at home that I had to leave with my parents because they wouldn't work around magic."

Ted frowned when he noticed Dudley withdraw. He wasn't exactly expecting his words to cheer him up completely, but this was a step in the wrong direction. "Dudley is this about whatever it was that upset you that first night?"

Dudley looked nervous. "What are you talking about?"

Sitting down on the bed, Ted looked Dudley in the eyes. "I understand this past month or so has been real hard on you. I may not know exactly how you feel, but you and I aren't all that different."

"You don't know anything! Did your parents tell you they hated you? Did your parents just throw you away?" Dudley nearly screamed as his emotions overflowed.

"Not exactly, but it might have been easier if they had." Ted said calmly. "At first, they didn't know what to make of me being a wizard. As the years passed, I grew more and more into my magic. By the time I entered into my third year, they started treating me colder. They couldn't understand what magic meant to me, and they resented that I showed no interest in continuing my muggle education. I don't know what they thought they would accomplish, but by the time my sixth year started we were practically strangers. My life at home living with them was so strained that I never went back. That summer I was seventeen, so I got myself a job and a flat. I finished up my final year at Hogwarts, and just started living my life. I never did patch things up with my parents. I did try a few times, but every owl I sent them was sent right back, letter unopened. It hurt bad back then, and it certainly isn't a pleasant memory now, but I've moved on."

"Well, you don't have to tell me anything, but I hope you talk to somebody. If not one of us, then at least talk over what's bothering you with Healer Abbott." Ted pushed himself up off the bed. "It really will help."

Dudley looked around his room. Almost everything in it had been given to him by his parents. Tears started to well up in his eyes, but he ruthlessly held them back. "Did you really not care? That you left all your stuff behind I mean."

Ted gave a half smile. "To be fair there were fewer fancy electronics back when I was a kid, but no I didn't really miss what I did have, That includes the telly by the way."

Dudley held still for a minute, deep in thought. Making his decision, he walked over to his closet and dug through a pile of stuff in the corner. After tossing assorted clothes and toys around, he pulled out a wooden box with a small combination lock on it. Opening it slightly to confirm its contents, Dudley closed and relocked it. He tossed the box onto his old bed, and soon it was joined with various small toys and comic books.

There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what was added to the pile on the bed. Ted looked on in interest as certain comics were taken, but others left behind. He noted that where Dudley had entire sets of action figures, he only took one or two, leaving behind the majority. He also dug through a stack of video games, pulling out one and leaving the rest behind. Ted was most interested in the wooden box, it was about three inches thick, and looked like it had originally held vinyl records.

After several minutes had passed, Dudley had a small pile of belongings. He ran out of the room, and quickly returned with a trash bag. Stuffing everything on the bed into the trash bag, he held it up. "Okay, I'm done. Let's go."

"You're sure that's everything? You don't have to leave behind so much, I'm going to shrink it all anyway for the trip home." Ted was surprised. After initially wanting to take nearly everything, Dudley had swung to the other extreme.

"Yeah. They don't want me, I don't want anything that they gave me." Dudley said as he walked away, dragging the bag behind him.

"Ah, I think I see." Ted took the bag from Dudley, shrunk it, and handed it back to him.

-o-o-

Andromeda had just finished up a lovely meeting with Deputy Headmistress McGonagall. It had been many years, but it was still difficult to call her old professor 'Minerva.' As a daughter of one of the most respected pure-blood families, Andromeda knew how to hold herself with poise and dignity, but she still felt like an awkward child in the presence of the transfiguration mistress. Regardless, everything had gone well, and there were no issues to iron out.

Now she had to deal with the goblins at Gringotts. She had been raised to view them as subhuman creatures, but due to the influence of her husband, she tried to keep an open mind. Unfortunately the goblins looked down on wizards as much as wizards looked down on them. Dealings were always cold, formal, and an exercise in patience for both parties.

"Next." Called out the goblin teller.

"I would like to ensure tuition payment for the two children recently placed in my care." Andromeda stated politely.

Without looking up from his ledger, the goblin rang a bell. Soon a younger goblin arrived.

"Take this witch to Gorgok." The teller ordered, still not raising his eyes. "Next."

The young goblin led Andromeda to an office with a grey haired goblin with a deep scar across his left eye.

"What can I do for you witch?" The grizzled goblin asked.

"I need to make sure that tuition is payed for two boys. I have been named guardian for both. They are Harry James Potter and Dudley Vernon Dursley. I want to ensure that there is no issue with my payment of said tuition." She explained.

Gorgok pulled out a massive tome and opened it toward the end. Drawing a long finger down the page, he grunted. Flipping a few pages, he again grunted after searching with his finger. "One moment." He said as he rang a bell.

"Is there a problem?" Andromeda asked, slightly concerned.

"Both children's tuition has already been paid in full." Gorgok said, then he spoke to a different young goblin that had just entered the office. The words exchanged were unknown as they both spoke gobbledegook before the young goblin exited.

Confused, Andromeda was about to speak up when the goblin returned and handed Gorgok a roll of parchment. Gorgok unrolled and read the parchment before setting it down and dismissing the younger goblin.

"It seems that according to the will of Lilly Potter, in the event of both her and her husband's passing, tuition for their son Harry James Potter was to be paid in its entirety from the Potter family vault. A similar clause is written ensuring tuition payment for any and all muggleborn children born to her sister Petunia Dursley." Gorgok explained. He then slid the parchment in front of Andromeda and pointed to a line.

She realized the parchment was a copy of Lilly Potter's will. After reading the lines that Gorgok was marking, she nodded in agreement of the interpretation. "Apparently everything is already taken care of. Thank you for your time."

He rerolled the parchment, and set it aside. "If there is nothing else, then I'll ask you to see yourself out." He said brusquely.

-o-o-

"I don't need a damn mind healer!" Sirius Black objected. "You can't force me into this either. I'm a free man now, and the only thing I need, is to see my godson."

"Then you do need to see the healer." An unamused Amelia Bones said. "The tribunal ruled that in order for you to see him, you need to be cleared by a mind healer. If you really don't need one, they'll clear you, and you can do whatever you like."

Bones was getting frustrated dealing with what should be the job of one of her subordinates. As head of the DMLE she had a great deal of work piling up while dealing with the whole Harry Potter fiasco. Dealing with Black fell under a similar need to know basis. She had set things up with Saint Mungo's and Andromeda Tonks the other day, and now this twit was fighting his situation tooth and nail. She had gone out of her way to streamline his release and recovery, and he was practically spitting on her efforts. She had better things to do. Once Black stopped being a baby and saw the healer, she could get back to work and the no doubt kilometer high stack of parchment on her desk.

She originally thought Black would go to Saint Mungo's without prompting, but perhaps she should have kicked his arse over there as soon as his trial was over. Instead she had been forced to track him down to an apartment in London. Needless to say, the man was dancing on her last nerve.

"Fine, but I'm doing this under protest." He spat.

"Thank Merlin! Go on to Saint Mungo's. On the sixth floor you'll find both the healers you need to see, and the privacy you no doubt desire." She thought about letting him know that his cousin had already agreed to take him in, and getting an apartment was a waste, but decided to just send him on his way. Enough time had already been wasted. Maybe he and Andy would work something out between them where he would keep his apartment, but still spend time with her while adjusting back into society. Either way, it was thankfully no longer her concern.

As Sirius walked away from Amelia he muttered to himself. "Waste of time. It's insulting. I'm not crazy."

-o-o-

With a slight wobble in their steps, Nymphadora and Harry exited the Knight Bus. Carefully they walked up to their home and managed to find their way to the family room where she collapsed on the couch and Harry fell into one of the armchairs.

"Ugh, I swear I sometimes think the driver tries to make everyone sick." Nymphadora moaned. "That has to be my least favorite way to travel. Shame I don't have quite enough experience, or I could have just apparated us both home."

"I don't know, I think it's still loads better than the floo." He disagreed. The wild jostling experienced when the seats slid around the bus was kind of fun, if not slightly nauseating. "What's apparated mean Nymphadora?"

She twitched at hearing her name, then sighed. The kid didn't know any better, and he'd been through enough. "Look squirt, Harry, I really don't like my name. My mother is insane, she insists it's a perfectly good name. Honestly though, who in their right mind names their kid 'Nymphadora?'" She made a face while saying her name.

"Uh... Sorry." Harry apologized quietly.

"No, don't worry about it, not your fault." Sitting up, she looked at him. "If you have to use my real name, at least do what my dad does and call me 'Dora'. I make everyone at school call me 'Tonks', but that might be a little weird for you to call me around here." She grinned, her mum hated 'Tonks' as much as she hated 'Nymphadora.' "I guess since I'm sorta acting like your big sister now, you can call me 'Sis' or something."

He looked up at her with wide eyes. "Really?"

"Huh?" She wasn't quite sure what he meant.

"You mean like we're family or something? Like, you actually want me around?" He asked cautiously.

The longing in his voice nearly broke her heart, and she remembered the cramped cupboard labeled 'HARRYS ROOM.' "Of course I want you around squirt, and I'm a Hufflepuff, we're all about family." Wanting to lighten the mood, she leaned forward. "Hey wanna see something cool?"

Overwhelmed by the complete acceptance from Nym... Dora... his Sis, he could only nod in agreement.

Before his eyes, her hair shifted color from a bright blonde to a deep purple. Her eyes changed to a shockingly bright blue, and her skin darkened to a rich bronze. "Pretty neat huh?" She shifted again, back to her normal skin tone, and the dark brown eyes she had before. She kept the purple hair, but it formed itself up into a short mohawk. "What do you think?"

"That's brilliant! Can you teach me how to do that?" He was excited, maybe he could finally get his messy hair to smooth out, or at least be messy on his own terms.

"Sorry squirt, I'm a metamorphmagus. It's something you have to be born with, you can't learn it sorry." She said while ruffling his hair. "Don't worry there's plenty of cool things you can learn. If you really want to change how you look, you can learn all kinds of glamors; and if you're turn out to be real good at transfiguration, you might be able to change little things. I'd be careful with transfiguration though, that stuff gets real dangerous when you get into doing it on humans."

"All magic can be dangerous if you're not careful. That's why you aren't allowed to practice it unless at school or under the watchful eye of a qualified tutor." Andromeda commented as she walked into the kitchen from the entryway. "Nymphadora, must you style your hair in such an outlandish manner?"

Rolling her eyes, and miming her mother's question, she made her hair lay flat and hang a couple inches above her shoulders. Harry stifled a laugh at Dora's mocking antics.

Ignoring her daughters disrespect, Andromeda walked into the family room and sat down in another of the armchairs. "I suppose I'll have to accept that you'll color your hair all manner of odd hues." After casting a quick spell to check the time, she questioned her daughter and Harry. "It's a little early for you to have finished shopping already. What happened?"

Like flipping a switch, Harry's good mood vanished, and he withdrew into himself staring at his shoes.

"It's no big deal mum, I've been getting along with Harry pretty well, so I'm going to take him to Diagon Alley when I get stuff for school tomorrow or the next day. Dad's taking care of Dudley today." While Harry's attention was on his feet, Dora motioned to capture her mothers attention and quickly mouthed 'later.'

Catching her daughter's quiet message, and noting Harry's fallen mood, Andromeda quickly changed the subject. "Well, I expect they'll be a while yet, what shall we do to pass the time?"

-o-o-

Dudley's earlier bad mood had been left behind at his parents house. He had decided that he would throw himself headlong into the wizarding world, much like his cousin Harry had been doing. That way he wouldn't be reminded of his parents. After all, what could possibly be less like his 'perfectly normal' parents, than a world filled with magic?

Ted Tonks led Dudley down Diagon Alley, amused at the wonder in the young boy's face. Dudly was visibly feeling better, and was excitedly looking around. He marveled at the bright colors and enchanted storefronts.

"First I think we should head to Ollivander's and get you a wand. How does that sound?" Ted asked as he casually strolled alongside the hyper boy. Hearing no objection, he led Dudley into the wand maker's shop.

Ollivander's had a very small main area with a simple bench for those waiting. A long counter separated the main area meant for customers from the rest of the shop. What was visible of the back area was rows upon rows of shelving. The shelving was filled from floor to ceiling with small long thin boxes. There did not appear to be anyone in the store.

Dudley walked up to the counter, and stood on his tip toes to try and look further into the back for the store owner. He nearly fell over when Garrick Ollivander seemed to appear next to him out of nowhere.

"Dudley Dursley, muggleborn. I imagine you have little idea what to expect here hmm?" The aged wand maker mused as Dudley tried desperately to calm himself.

Waiting by the door, Ted held back a laugh. He remembered how startled his daughter had gotten when she got her wand. She tripped over her own feet and landed squarely on her bottom. His own first experience with the eccentric old wizard hadn't been very dignified for him either.

Turning to Ted, Ollivander addressed him. "Edward Tonks; maple, nine and three quarters with a unicorn hair core. Surprisingly pliant if I recall correctly. I trust it has served you well?"

Ted laughed. "Yes sir, for everything but household charms it hasn't failed me yet."

"Hmm, yes a weakness I believe your daughter's wand shares. No matter. As weak points go, the inability to properly cast a cleansing charm is hardly worth mentioning." Before Ted could respond, Ollivander turned back to Dudley and dropped a tape measure at his feet.

The tape sprang to life and began measuring Dudley in just about every way imaginable while Ollivander disappeared behind the counter. He returned to the front and set down a small stack of boxes. "Now then let's see if we can't find you the perfect wand." The tape measure stopped it's assault, and fell to the floor, once more lifeless.

The strange wand maker opened the first box and pulled out a wand. "Here we go. Oak, ten and a half inches with a unicorn hair core. Fairly rigid, let's give this one a try." He handed Dudley the wand and urged him to wave it about.

Remembering the toy wand he'd played with before, he took hold of the wand. It felt warm as he swished the wand toward the wall.

Bright blue sparks flew out of the wand and bounced off the wall diffusing into the air. Ollivander clapped loudly. "Wonderful! That's the second time this month I've gotten a match on the first try. That will be seven galleons." He said as he gathered up the other boxes he had brought out.

Ted payed for the wand, and headed back out into the alley. Dudley followed while looking over his very own magic wand. They spent the next couple hours heading from store to store, gathering the items needed for a first year Hogwarts student. There were only two notable things to happen while they spent time shopping.

When they stopped for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, Ted and Dudley witnessed an argument over an article in the newspaper concerning the release of a mass murderer from prison. The argument quickly grew heated as one side insisted that the man called Black should be kissed, while the other side just as vehemently argued that if the man had been found innocent then he clearly was innocent. The barkeep Tom wound up throwing the whole lot out of the pub. Dudley found the whole commotion to be funny, but he couldn't figure out why the one side wanted to kiss an ex con, and why the other side was so dead set against it.

The other interesting thing to happen occurred while Dudley was getting fitted for school robes.

-o-o-

Inside Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, there were two circular raised platforms. Dudley occupied one and a girl his age stood on the other. Both were being measured and manhandled, the price paid for properly fitted robes.

As the witches who were working on the two children moved off to find the proper sized robes to alter, the girl turned to look at Dudley. "Hi there, my name's Lavender. I'm starting Hogwarts this year, and I'm sooo excited. Are you going to Hogwarts also?"

"Uh, yeah I guess. I'm Dudley. All this is kind of new to me. I don't know what to expect." He replied, not quite sure what to make of the bubbly girl next to him.

"Ooh, you must be muggleborn then, what's it like to grow up without magic? I can't even imagine it. I'm a pure-blood myself." She then remembered her mum's lecture on blood status, and how no one should be treated any different based on their blood. "Not that it matters of course." She quickly added

The girl was talking a mile a minute, and Dudley was trying to decide if it was worth it to continue talking to her. "I don't know. I never knew magic was real until this summer, so I couldn't tell you the difference."

The witch working on Lavender returned. "Here we go miss Brown, try this on and we'll see what needs to be altered."

"Brown?" Dudley piped up. "Are you related to Healer Brown?"

Pulling on the robes, she answered. "Maybe, I think I have a cousin who works at Saint Mungo's." She gasped. "Oh no! Were you in the hospital? Are you okay?"

Dudley berated himself for bringing the subject up. "Uh, yeah I'm fine. It was nothing, forget about it. Hey, since you grew up magic, can you tell me what to expect when we go to school?" Dudley asked desperate to change the subject.

Caught up with the topic change, Lavender didn't even notice Dudley's reluctance to talk about the hospital. "There are four houses, and all the first years get divided up among them. No one will tell me how they do the sorting though. I think it's a big secret that you aren't allowed to know until you're a student. I heard a rumor that you are tested somehow. I hope that's not true, I mean I know it's a school and all, but a test on the first day? That's just wrong. Maybe they let you decide, or maybe they use a crystal ball to see which house you should be in."

"Miss Brown?" The witch fitting her said to draw her attention.

"Hmm what?"

"Breath dear. I think you're so excited that you're making your new friend there nervous." She said, tilting her head to point at Dudley.

Seeing that Dudley's eyes were starting to glaze over, Lavender blushed and apologized. "Oops, sorry. I get carried away sometimes."

Dudley was brought back to reality when the with tending to him handed over robes for him to try on. He managed to catch her apology. "That's okay I guess. I did ask you after all. What's the difference between the houses anyway?"

Making a conscious effort to calm down, she replied. "Let's see. There's Gryffindor. They're supposed to be brave and noble. I hope to get sorted there, it sounds so romantic. Next is Hufflepuff. I think they're supposed to be loyal and hardworking. I don't think they sound very fun. Ravenclaw is for the super smart or something, again doesn't sound very fun. Last is Slytherin. They're sneaky and power hungry. At least that's what I've heard. Any Idea which house you'll get sorted into?"

Dudley thought for a moment while the witch finished up marking the robes for alteration. "I dunno, you make Slytherin sound bad, but sneaky and power hungry could also mean a leader who's street smart." He thought about how he led his own gang back in Surrey. "I suppose Gryffindor could work too, I'm not afraid of nothing. I think you're right about those other two, they sound boring."

As Lavender was handed her new robes, she hopped down. "Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough. I'll see you later Dudley." She paid for her robes and left the store.

Soon after, Ted returned from gathering miscellaneous supplies, and Dudleys own robes were ready. Ted paid for them, and they left to finish their shopping.

-o-o-

Authors Note: Different people call Tonks different things. Any thoughts on how I should refer to her outside of dialog? Should I continue to use Nymphadora? Change over to Dora? Tonks? Natalia? (I'm not serious about that last one, but kudos if you can tell why I added it.)

It has also been brought to my attention that Tonks actually graduated before Harry entered Hogwarts. My bad, I mixed up facts from other fan fictions and canon. I'm not going to bother correcting this in **Harry's Cousin** , but I'll be sure to remember for any other stories I may write.


	6. The sorting

Authors Note: Here we go, just a sliver of summer left, and then it's off to Hogwarts. This chapter went through several iterations before the final draft. The Sorting Hat kept changing its mind, after all it's a thousand year old artifact, I think it might be getting senile.

Please take the time to leave a review. I really appreciate the input. Even if you don't like it, especially if you don't like it, let me know and I'll use your reviews to improve.

-o-o-

Chapter 6

The sorting

-o-o-

"I nearly forgot, here is Harry's key to his trust vault at Gringotts. His parents set it up to pay for his school supplies and to provide pocket money until he graduates." Andromeda handed a small key to her daughter who would soon be shopping for school supplies along with Harry. "Professor McGonagall was going to give it to him along with his Hogwarts letter, but understandably forgot. She gave it to me along with a curious reminder to pass along to you."

Nymphadora looked partly confused and partly wary. "Reminder, what do you mean?"

"She asked me to remind you that Gryffindor tower is for Gryffindor students. She said if she catches you in her dorms again, especially the boys half, then you'll be polishing every suit of armor in the castle, by hand."

The color literally drained away from Nymphadora's face. "Mum, it was just the one time honest! It was a dare, I just had to..."

"I don't care Nymphadora." She interrupted the now pale teen. "You have an exceedingly rare gift, and I find out you've been using it to sneak into the boys' dorm?. I expect better of you."

Nymphadora allowed the color to return to her face, but her hair hung limp and turned a mousy brown as she lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry mum, I promise that it will never happen again."

"Good, next time don't get caught, and I won't find out." Andromeda said with a small smirk.

Nymphadora's eyes shot upward, confusion evident within them.

"I am a Slytherin dear." She reminded her daughter. "Be sure to concentrate on your studies so you can do well on your NEWT's, but don't forget to still have fun. These are the last days of your childhood, try to enjoy them as much as you can. I just don't necessarily want to know how you've been enjoying them." Her warm eyes danced in amusement as her smirk broke out into a full smile.

Andromeda walked away laughing as her daughter stood there frozen in shock. Nymphadora's first thought as her brain reset, was to be sure to ask her dad what her mum was like when they were still in school. After composing herself, she walked off to find Harry so they could head out.

-o-o-

Sirius Black was upset. The mind healer assigned to him wouldn't just sign off on the stupid forms so he could be on his way. At first he tried to reason with her, then he tried bribery. Finally he fell back on his most successful form of persuasion, his natural charm. For the first time since Lilly Potter, he was unable to charm a witch into seeing things his way. Healer Abbott didn't even respond to his flirtation, it was maddening.

"If you cooperate, then things will go much smoother. The longer you fight me, the longer you'll have to stay." Abbott admonished. "Granted, you can leave at any time. You are not a prisoner any more, but if you truly wish to be there for your godson, then you need to let me help you. Harry is a sweet boy, and I think having you in his life could be a good thing for both of you; but if you are still fighting your own demons, then you would be doing both him and you more harm than good."

"Fine, but I still think this is just a waste of time." He pouted. Still, if it meant he could be there for Harry faster, then he had to cooperate. He failed once, he couldn't fail again, his own pride be damned. "I'm sorry. Look I'll be good, just do what you have to do to get me out of here the fastest. Harry is the most important person in the world to me. I'll do whatever it takes."

-o-o-

Harry was having the time of his life as the mine cart careened through the tunnels underneath Gringotts. He was laughing and smiling broadly while gripping the cart tightly with each turn and drop. Next to him, Dora was also enjoying the ride that made her parents slightly queasy, but she found herself more amused by his antics than the ride itself.

The goblin Griphook who was operating the cart was annoyed that both of these humans seemed to actually be enjoying themselves. The carts were specifically designed so that humans would hate the trips down to their vaults. A petty revenge against the wizards that looked down on them to be sure, but one Griphook enjoyed very much.

Soon the cart came to a stop at vault number 687. Griphook opened the vault door using Harry's key, and Harry and Dora stepped inside.

"Uh, sis, are you sure this is my vault?" Stacks of gold galleons were piled up throughout the small vault. Piles of silver sickles and bronze knuts were strewn about as well. Harry couldn't fathom how much money was before him, there was no way it was all his.

The Tonks were by no means poor, but neither were they rich, so Dora was also floored by the amount of money displayed. She had a hard time believing that this was just a trust vault. The Potters being an old money family must have had a different definition of pocket money than she did. "Yeah. No goblin would ever let anyone into a vault they didn't own without the presence of, or express permission of the vault owner."

"That is correct, and stated nearly word for word from what is told to wizards who have just opened a vault of their own." The voice of Griphook floated in from outside.

"Yup, dad had me get my own vault after I turned seventeen, but it's more like a piggy bank when compared to yours squirt." She jokingly nudged Harry who blushed slightly.

Harry had the realization that there was a good chance he had more gold than the Tonks who were taking care of him. "Um, should I be paying rent or something to your mum?" Harry thought back to the number of times his uncle had told him he should be grateful for the scraps of food he was allowed to eat, and the rags he was allowed to wear. That and all the chores he had to do were to make up for the expense of having to take care of him. "I don't want your family to feel put out by being forced to take care of me."

At first she thought he was joking, but then she looked down at his face. Those bright green eyes looked up at her completely serious. He was worried that if he didn't pay, they would resent him, or maybe even treat him the way he had been before. "Harry." She said as she knelt down to meet him at eye level. "First off, as far as I'm concerned we're your family now too. I'm sure mum and dad feel the same. Secondly, this money is yours. Your parents set up this vault just for you, so that you would have all the money you needed until you graduated. Third and most important, we chose to take you and your cousin in. We wanted you to join our family. Please remember that Harry. We wanted you. Nobody forced us, and you're not a burden"

In his time at Saint Mungo's the healers managed to get Harry to see that he wasn't a freak, but it wasn't until he started living with the Tonks' that he began to see himself as worth anything. Ted was Jovial and lighthearted, taking the time to answer any question from either boy. Andy was warm and kind, and made sure both he and Dudley knew what to expect, and what was expected of them in wizarding society. Dora though, she was quickly filling the void in Harry's heart that had grown every time he had failed to gain the Dursley's approval. She had told him she was like a sister, and should even call her sis. The love and affection he had been starved for over the past ten years, he was finally getting. He had no idea how to handle it.

Harry broke down. Tears streaming from his emerald eyes he began to sob uncontrollably. Not for the first time, Dora was glad she was a Hufflepuff. Six years in the house of tolerance and understanding gave her the empathy to know just what to do. She simply held the crying boy and let him ride out his emotions. She would offer all the caring he needed.

Griphook glanced into the vault, then quickly averted his eyes. It was disgusting the way humans would show weakness so readily. He decided to wait in the mine cart, and was glad that it wasn't his time being wasted. He would be paid the same no matter how many wizards he escorted to their vaults. It didn't matter if he brought fifty back and forth over the course of the day, or just one. There were only so many carts however, so it was likely that there would be an irate wizard waiting upon his return. The wizard of course couldn't express his displeasure at Griphook, not with armed goblin warriors throughout the bank. The two children however would likely draw the ire of whomever was waiting. This thought made Griphook smile.

-o-o-

Seeing as it was a beautiful day out, Ted had made the decision to have barbecue for dinner that night. Thanks to the efforts of Healer Brown, Dudley was no longer the insatiable glutton he once was. Still, Dudley was very much interested in good food, so he was hanging around Ted while the older wizard worked a different kind of magic.

"If we aren't eating this until dinner time, then why are you cooking it now? Won't it be burnt by the time we eat?" Dudley asked. He'd never really had barbecue before, his own father preferred a far greasier diet. On occasion Vernon would cook what he called barbecue, but would invariably wind up charred and dry.

Ted chuckled. "That's the secret to barbecue Dudley. You have to get the coals going, but not too hot. Then you set the meat high and away from the heat where it will slowly cook for hours. If it's too hot then the meat will cook too fast, and be tough, and probably burn. If you get it just right, then the meat will be juicy and tender. The fat will just melt away, flavoring the meat. If you're cooking hot and fast, then that's just grilling. Which while good, doesn't hold a candle to barbecue."

"Ted are you going on about grilling barbecue again? Dudley don't listen to him. The proper cooking charms will produce the same results in no time at all." Andromeda's voice came from inside.

Ted made a face which in turn made Dudley laugh. "It's not the same Andy. Nothing can compare to good barbecue. It's important that the next generation learns this." He whispered to Dudley an aside. "Besides, between you and me, the last time I used my wand to cook, I nearly burnt the house down." This made Dudley laugh even harder.

Andromeda muttered something that didn't reach out to the patio, but didn't interrupt the impromptu lesson any further.

After everything had been set up and the meat was cooking, Ted and Dudley sat in the lounge chairs on the patio drinking cold butterbeer and talking.

"Are you feeling better about everything now Dudley? I know you've had some rough eye openers this summer." Ted asked cautiously.

Dudley was silent at first, then looked off into the distance. "I don't know. I'm trying, but it still feels weird. Back home... Back at my parents, being normal and respected was the most important thing. I can't ever be normal. It's so much easier for Harry, he's used to being a fr... weird."

"Well, you're a wizard now Dudley, weird is what we do. To us weird is normal. It will take time, but eventually you'll see something completely new and astonishing, and calmly accept it. After all magic makes just about anything possible." Ted thought about what Dudley wasn't saying, or rather what he almost said. "Do you regret how Harry was treated now that you've learned that you and he are both wizards?"

"I don't know, I guess. I mean. It could have been me too, but my parents never knew. I keep picturing me getting Harry's punishments." Dudley refrained from mentioning just how often Harry's punishments involved him and his gang chasing down and beating up the smaller boy.

"Well, maybe you could apologize to Harry. From what I understand, your parents never will; but you could let him know that you regret how he was treated." Ted looked at the young boy who was struggling with his emotions. "Just because your parents drove a wedge between you both doesn't mean you can't bridge the gap and become friends now."

That was when Dudley realized that they didn't know. They thought Harry and he didn't get along because of his parents. They had no idea that Dudley would routinely beat up his cousin. For some reason, that made him feel even worse.

-o-o-

Dora brought Harry to Florean Fortescue's for some ice cream to help him calm down. While they sat and ate their frozen treats, she entertained Harry with some more demonstrations of her metamorphic abilities. When she was done making faces the way only a metamorphmagi can, she returned to normal. Except this time she let her hair grow down to the small of her back. As it grew, she changed it to a fairly normal strawberry blonde.

The actual shopping went fairly fast, with no unexpected incidents. Ollivander was still creepy as anything, and Harry now carried a holly and phoenix feather wand. Books, ingredients, and all the other needed supplies were purchased by Harry, and shrunk by Dora so that Harry could carry it all without trouble. While they shopped, Dora remembered to pick up the items she needed as well. Caught up in the role of big sister, she nearly forgot to buy her own supplies.

They ended their trip at Madam Malkin's, where Harry asked why he had to get fitted if she was just buying robes off the rack. With a raised eyebrow, she responded by shrinking a couple inches, and widening her waist visibly before shifting back to normal. Dora didn't have to have clothes fitted to her size, she could fit herself to the clothes' size.

After some quick tips from Dora, they both flooed back home from the Leaky Cauldron.

-o-o-

Dora stepped out of the fireplace only to nearly step on Harry who was flat on his back. "Well, at least you aren't embedded in the opposite wall this time." She gave a small chuckle. "Give it time, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually."

After helping Harry up off the floor, she went to put her thing away in her room. Unfortunately she somehow managed to trip, on absolutely nothing. Landing sprawled out in the kitchen, she heard Harry's muffled snickering. Looking back she saw he was trying and failing to hold in his laughter with his hands.

"At least I can blame the floo, what's your excuse?" Harry managed to get out, before he noticed her grinning, and holding her wand. He gulped and tried to run.

The last thing he heard was her saying "Rictusempra," and he doubled over with laughter. As soon as she saw the charm take hold, she canceled it. "That'll teach you to laugh at me squirt."

Taking in a large gasp of air, he looked at her. "I laugh at you, so you make me laugh harder?"

She held up her wand. "You want another go?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no, I give." He said, his hands in the air in surrender.

-o-o-

The Hogwarts Express was a majestic sight, its cherry red paint gleamed as students of all ages climbed aboard. To Harry it represented hope for the future, cementing his place in a world where he was starting to feel like he truly belonged. For Dudley, the train symbolized leaving his past behind and starting anew. Both very similar viewpoints, differing only in Harry's looking forward, and Dudley's refusal to look back.

"Remember what I've taught you two, and Harry, don't forget you represent the Potter family. Make your parents proud." Andromeda bid them farewell with a hug for each boy. Then she hugged her daughter and softly spoke in her ear. "Keep an eye on them as best you can."

Ted clasped Harry and Dudley by a shoulder each and said his own goodbye. "Don't forget to have fun as well, and try to help each other out. Remember you're family, even if you have your disagreements, you should always have each others backs." He then gave Dora a great big hug and stepped back.

"Don't worry guys, I'll make sure they don't get into too much trouble." Dora said as she grabbed her trunk and started to lead Harry and Dudley onto the train.

As the three walked away, Andromeda's voice carried over the din of the train station. " Don't forget what we talked about earlier Nymphadora! I don't want to hear one word about you from Professor McGonagall!"

"What was that about?" Dudley asked as they moved further into the train.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Okay if you guys need me I'll be in that compartment over there." She pointed to an open door with a Blonde girl leaning out and waving at Dora to come over. "See if you can't find some other first years and make friends, and try to have fun." She gave Harry one last hug, and mussed up Dudley's hair before walking over to her waving friend.

Harry and Dudley looked at each other, shrugged, and moved off to find a less crowded car. After finding an empty compartment toward the back, Dudley helped his cousin muscle his trunk up into the luggage rack. Harry reached for Dudley's trunk to return the favor, but Dudley stopped him.

"Look, for what it's worth I'm sorry. You know, about everything." Dudley looked away as he was apologizing. "The Tonks' are nice people, but they really don't know anything about us and... well... you know... If it's okay with you I just want to start over. Pretend like the last ten years never happened."

Harry looked at his cousin confused. This didn't mesh at all with the Dudley he grew up with. Then again, neither one of them had really been the same once they started living with the Tonks family. "I don't know if I can, but I guess we can try."

"Yeah, I figured it would be easier for both of us if we, you know, stayed away from each other for a bit." Dudley grasped the handle of his trunk. "I'll let you have this one, I'll find another place to sit." Dudley was sure he'd seen that Lavender girl he'd met before, and planned on sitting with her. Harry was so good at handling all these new things anyway, he could find his own friends. Dudley didn't want to share.

"Uh, okay. I'll see you at school then." As Dudley started to leave, Harry stopped him. "Hey wait a moment."

Dudley turned back and gave him a questioning look, so Harry pressed on. "Um, I found out my mum and dad left me a lot of money for my school years. It's more than I think I'll ever need, so I figured I'd share it with you. You know, so that Andy and Ted don't have to give you an allowance or anything." Harry pressed a pouch into Dudley's hands that clinked with the sound of gold. "Go on take it."

Dudley looked at the pouch, and then at Harry, confused. "Why?"

"Like you said, we should start over. It might help if we both have money. You know instead of one of us only having second hand stuff." Harry felt like he'd gained a victory as Dudley looked ashamed. He'd been thinking about doing this ever since Dora had told him that he didn't have to pay rent, and they would never resent him. He trusted his 'Sister,' but he still wanted to do something so he didn't feel like a freeloader. Giving Dudley the money meant that they wouldn't have to.

"Thanks, um... bye." Dudley, clearly embarrassed, walked away hurriedly.

Harry flopped down onto the bench, and contemplated how much his cousin had changed in such a short time. It really wasn't that long ago Dudley would have just beaten Harry up, and taken all his money just so he wouldn't have any. It escaped him just how much he himself had grown as well.

-o-o-

The door was open to the compartment that Dudley had seen Lavender enter, so he stopped just outside and looked in. Lavender was chatting with two Indian girls who, near as Dudley could tell, were completely identical. "Um, hello. Would you mind if I joined you?"

The three girls looked up from their conversation, and the light of recognition shone in Lavender's eyes. "I remember you. Dudley right? From the robe shop?"

"Erm yeah. You're Lavender right?" He replied, hoping they would let him sit with them. He really didn't want to go sit with his cousin, it would be way too awkward.

She smiled brightly. "You remembered. Come in, this is Padma and Parvati Patil. Girls, this is Dudley Dursley. He's muggleborn, we met in Diagon Alley.

-o-o-

Harry looked up when he heard a rap on the compartment wall. A taller dark skinned boy was leaning in and looking at him. "May I join you?" He asked.

Remembering the crash course in the etiquette expected of him, Harry stood and motioned for the other boy to enter. "By all means. My name is Harry Potter, and you are?"

The boy's eyes widened, and quickly darted to Harry's forehead before dropping to notice the hand extended toward him. "Zabini, Blaise Zabini." Shaking the offered hand, he stepped into the compartment. As soon as he pulled his trunk in from the hallway, another boy appeared in the opening.

"Zabini, I see you found a mostly empty one. Crabbe, Goyle, our trunks." On the prompting of the pale white haired boy, two larger boys stowed their own trunks as well as the other boy's and Zabini's.

"Malfoy, this is Harry Potter. Potter, this is Draco Malfoy and his two retainers Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle." Zabini introduced everyone.

Malfoy was surprised. His father had told him that Potter was going to be in his year, and that he should do his best to influence the Boy-Who-Lived. He had also mentioned that Potter had been taken in by his filthy blood-traitor aunt Andromeda, so tact would be important. Holding himself in an imperious manner that he had copied from his father, Draco extended his hand. "Always a pleasure to meet the son of such a respected line."

Harry shook Draco's hand, and suggested they all sit. "I didn't realize any of the families still used human retainers. I thought that's what house elves were for." Harry carefully asked once everyone was seated. His mind was reeling, trying to remember all that Andy had told him about wizarding society. Desperate not to make a fool out of himself, he silently cursed the fact that he seemed to have encountered 'high class' students already. He had been hoping he wouldn't really need the lessons Andy had insisted he learn, but was very glad for them now.

Zabini laughed, and Draco smacked him in the back of the head. "They aren't really my retainers. They're more like bodyguards I suppose. It's kind of an informal thing. They help me, I help them."

"So, they're your friends, but they protect you and follow your orders?" Harry asked, trying to figure out the strange dynamic.

"We aren't too good with learning stuff. Draco helps us with our lessons." Crabbe said.

Goyle joined in. "Yeah, so we help Draco where we can."

"Okay, I think I understand." Harry lied. He didn't get it at all, but he wasn't about to let them know that.

"So Potter, do you know what house you'll be going into?" Zabini asked, noticing that Harry was slightly uncomfortable with the current subject.

"Uh not really. My guardian told me a little about the four houses, but I don't know where I'll fit in." Harry said with a nervous smile. "She was a Slytherin, but the rest of the family was in Hufflepuff. I guess either of those two would work."

Before anyone else could respond, Malfoy spoke up. "You should hope for Slytherin. It's the best house, all of the most respected families are sorted there." He was about to dismiss Hufflepuff outright, but thought again how tact would be needed here. His father over the past month had been extra adamant about the value of not offending anyone who could prove to be an ally. "There are exceptions, like your guardian's family no doubt; but most of Hufflepuff are considered to be, well duffers to be honest. I would avoid that house if I were you."

"Really? Dora said that they were like one big family." Harry actually was leaning toward hoping for Hufflepuff since she was in that house.

Draco bit back a scoffing laugh. "Well, all of the houses are supposed to be like an extended family. The problem with Hufflepuff is they let anyone in. You get people like, Dora was it? But you also get rejects that don't fit into any other house."

Harry thought about that, and wasn't sure what to make of it. "What about the other two, what are they like?"

Zabini took over, surreptitiously giving Malfoy a questioning eye when Harry wasn't looking. It really wasn't like Draco to give any credit to the house of duffers. "Ravenclaw isn't a bad house, they are well known for their intelligence and wisdom. Gryffindor on the other hand is the worst. Fools who act without thinking wind up there."

The rest of the train ride Harry contemplated the information his new friends had given him, Draco carefully worked on gaining Harry's trust, and the other three boys tried to figure out why Draco was acting so differently.

-o-o-

Once the train stopped at Hogsmead station, and everyone had disembarked, an enormous man called all of the first years over to him. The man easily stood as tall as two grown men. His massive black bushy beard, along with matching hair that reached past his shoulders, gave him a wild look. This was compounded by his overcoat that seemed to be stitched together from animal pelts. His gruff appearance was countered by his kind voice, but most of the children were wary of the giant man. He introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts.

They were all led to a flotilla of small boats with no visible means of propulsion. Hagrid told them all to take a seat, with no more than four to a boat. Dudley sat with the three witches he had been sitting with on the train. Harry sat with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Zabini begged off to go join others he knew. After everyone was seated the boats launched themselves, and silently glided across the water. The silence gave way to the wonder and excitement from the children as the Hogwarts castle came into view.

After docking at the castle's boat house, Hagrid led the first years up many flights of stairs to the castle proper. By the time they had reached the doors, the children were all eager to rest, and many were getting hungry. The doors swung open to reveal a stern looking witch that Harry and Dudley both recognized as the woman who had come to Privet drive what felt like a lifetime ago.

The witch identified herself as Professor McGonagall, the deputy headmistress and head of the Gryffindor house. She then named the four houses, and explained how the student's house would be like their family for the extent of their school days. She then went on to explain the house point system, and the contest for the house cup. Eventually, she turned and led them into the castle's great hall.

The great hall was breathtaking. The high vaulted ceiling seemed to not exist as the night sky was clearly visible past the beams that supported the massive structure. The hall was lit by hundreds of floating candles, hovering throughout room above everyone's heads. Four long tables took up most of the space, at each one sat scores of students proudly displaying their house colors. At the far end of the hall, the various professors and staff sat at another long table set the other way upon a raised platform.

McGonagall led the increasingly nervous first years down the center of the hall between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. As they reached the space between the student tables and the staff table, she called for the children to halt. She then strode forward to stand next to a single wooden stool with a pointed hat upon it. The grey hat was worn and faded. Most likely it was once black and well made, but now it sat there with its point drooped and its seams frayed.

The hall was silent for a moment, and the first years grew even more nervous. Nobody had told any of them what they were supposed to do. When the wait had just about become unbearable, a seam at the hat's brim split open like a mouth, and the hat sang. The hat's song was whimsical and energetic. In verse it described the houses, and explained that it was tasked with sorting each of the new students. All they needed to do was wear it.

One by one, McGonagall called up the students by reading from the scroll she had pulled from her robes. As each child sat on the provided stool, she would place the hat on their head. The hat would then call out the house for the student. Some students would barely have the hat touch their head before the hat called out it decision decisively. Others would have the hat sit for a moment, mumbling inaudibly before making its decision.

Since the list McGonagall used was alphabetical, Dudley was one of the earlier children to sit down to the hat's judgment. As the hat settled on his head he was nervous, but determined not to show it.

The hat spoke softly to itself, so that only Dudley could hear. "I can tell you have courage. Yes, Godric's house would welcome you no doubt. You also have great ambition, and a deviousness that would make Salazar himself proud. Hmm, no help for it. Salazar's house would be too hostile for you to thrive. Too bad. You will be more welcome and find a better home in..." The hat then raised its voice calling its verdict out loud. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Dudley walked over to the cheering table decorated with gold and red. He tried to figure out what the hat meant by the other house being hostile. Lost in thought, he nearly walked past the table, only to be guided to a seat by Lavender who had grabbed his arm as he passed her. She giggled at his near mistake, which brought him back to earth. He smiled at his new friend, and looked up at the sorting, eager to see where his cousin would wind up.

When Harry's turn came, the hat was silent. For a gut wrenching moment, Harry was afraid he would be told he didn't belong after all. Before his fears could spiral out of control the hat spoke softly. Once again its words were for its wearer alone. "Most curious. It's not often I encounter someone who could fit in any of the four houses. Hmm, let's see. You have the mind for Ravenclaw, but not quite the thirst for knowledge. You have the courage for Gryffindor, perhaps..."

Harry interrupted the hat, whispering softly. "Not Gryffindor." He didn't want to be in a house filled with fools, besides his cousin was there. He did not want to be in the same house as Dudley.

"Not Gryffindor eh? Alright, let's see. You aren't afraid of hard work, and you have fierce loyalty for the few who earn it. You would do well in Hufflepuff. You have ambitious goals as well, more than you have yet to realize. Slytherin could help you fulfill them. Hmm, which shall it be?"

The hall grew completely silent, even the scattered conversations stopped as everyone's attention was drawn to the first year that was taking so long to sort. Those that knew his family history were certain that he should be a Gryffindor, and were confused that he wasn't sent there right away. As the seconds ticked by, everybody was waiting, wondering which house would get Harry Potter? Suddenly the hat perked up and called out loud its choice. "SLYTHERIN!"

-o-o-

Authors Note: Well, I think my cover image gave away where Dudley was going to wind up, but I wonder how many of you guessed Harry's house. It was very, very close. He was never going to go to Gryffindor, but he bounced back and forth between Slytherin and Hufflepuff since I started this story.


	7. Welcome to Hogwarts

Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review. Many of the reviews have affected the story in some fashion, if only to make me consider a point I hadn't yet realized. Each review also spurs me on to write more.

Positive or negative, I love hearing from you, so please continue to let me know what you think.

To JJFan Reviewing Chapter 4: I thought so too, I just had to force the Wizengamot to see it my way.

To JJFan Reviewing Chapter 6: Yeah, I don't see any point in quoting the books word for word, I always skip past those sections in other stories. I don't know yet who Dudley will befriend, you'll find out shortly after I do. As for Harry and Draco... I'll say not right away.

Chapter 7

Welcome to Hogwarts.

-o-o-

The great hall was so silent that everyone could hear the rustle of Harry's robes as he lifted the hat off of his head. Then applause broke out at the Slytherin table. Harry noticed that Draco was leading the cheers that now came from the green and silver covered table. He wasn't quite sure why the rest of the hall was still silent, but it made him very nervous. Everyone else had gotten at least polite clapping from every table. He thought perhaps he should have asked the hat to place him in Hufflepuff like he originally had been thinking.

Then he noticed someone at the Hufflepuff table clapping. Dora had changed her hair yet again to now be Slytherin green, and was standing while clapping loudly. He noticed her wink at him, and the rest of the Hufflepuffs started to clap as well, following her lead. Feeling more confident, Harry walked over and sat in the seat that Draco had opened up for him between himself and Vincent.

"I told you the best families were in Slytherin." Draco smirked at Harry. "Don't worry about all of them, they're just jealous that we've got you, and they don't."

Harry looked confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Now it was Draco's turn to be confused. "You really don't know? You're the Boy-Who-Lived. Every house wanted you. They're all disappointed that Harry Potter isn't in their house."

Harry thought about that as the sorting resumed. He remembered Andy briefly mentioning how he had somehow survived an attack that killed his parents, but he didn't realize she had been serious when she said he was famous and beloved for it. She'd said he shouldn't let the fame go to his head, but again he'd thought it was a joke. Maybe he should find out how the public viewed him. Apparently Andy had tried, but he didn't absorb it. Hopefully Draco would help him out.

Absently Harry let his eyes wander the hall. Many people were staring at him, but quickly averted their eyes to avoid his own. Dora once again caught his attention, smiled, and and gave him a reassuring nod. At the staff table he noticed several teachers looking at him with various emotions playing across their features. McGonagall's face showed regret, and something he didn't recognize. The giant groundskeeper Hagrid looked clearly confused. Headmaster Dumbledore looked very worried at first, then his features settled into again something he didn't recognize. When Harry's eyes passed across a professor wearing a large purple turban and a slight frown, Harry felt a sharp headache suddenly form. His headache, as much as it hurt, was nearly forgotten as he noticed the professor next to the turbaned one. The man was looking straight at him, with anger the likes of which he'd only every seen from his uncle Vernon.

"Draco, who is that? The Professor who looks like I just killed his puppy?" Harry asked quietly, fighting the urge to withdraw completely, or run and hide.

"Huh?" Draco looked up at the staff table. "That's my godfather, Professor Snape. I have no idea why he looks so mad. Maybe it's just coincidence, and he's not actually looking at you. You know just staring off into nothing but you happen to be in the way." The Malfoy scion was genuinely confused. Uncle Snape never showed his emotions. When he was little, Draco had accidentally blown up an expensive potion with his uncontrolled magic; uncle Snape merely cleaned the mess, and told him he should better control his own emotions.

-o-o-

At first, Dumbledore was very concerned that Harry had been sorted into Slytherin. Most of his plans in some way revolved around him being in Gryffindor. Then he thought, perhaps it was for the best.

After the catastrophe at his very last Wizengamot session, he had reviewed the choices he had made over the past few decades. In many ways he felt his political enemies had been right. He had lost touch and not realized it. At the time he felt he was letting them believe it was too much responsibility that allowed him to make such errors that lost him his position as chief warlock. Now he felt that was, in actuality the truth. He had tried to do too much and had failed to realize that while he may have been the best man for all three jobs, he could not do any of them justice while he maintained all three. Yes, being forced out of the Wizengamot and the ICW was perhaps the very thing that needed to happen for him to truly do good.

Now that his only hat was that of a headmaster, he felt that it was right that he should rethink all of his plans concerning the child of prophecy. He would be as bad as Tom if he allowed Harry to sacrifice himself without exhausting every other possibility first. He would still need to keep a close eye on Harry of course. Fortuitously, Severus was more than capable of watching the boy. As his head of house, the man would likely do so without prompting.

Glancing over at his potions professor, Dumbledore frowned slightly. The look on the admittedly broody man was a mixture of shock, disgust, and barely contained fury. What would possibly have caused such a reaction? Following Severus' line of sight, it was clear he was looking at the boy in question. This wouldn't do at all. He would have to have a talk with Severus as soon as the feast ended.

-o-o-

McGonagall was as shocked as anyone when the hat had sorted Harry Potter of all people into Slytherin. Those horrible muggles must have damaged the wee lad more than the healers could tend to. There was no doubt in her mind that the boy should have been a Gryffindor. He surely would have been if not for such a troubling childhood.

Shaking her head in disappointment, she resolved that she would keep an eye on the lad when she could. Perhaps the best thing she could do for the son of James and Lilly, would be talking to Severus. She still believed hiring the petty man had been one of Albus' more foolhardy decisions. No doubt he still harbored a great deal of anger toward James; she would have a talk with Severus and ensure those feelings did not spill over onto Harry.

Sighing, she looked at her own house's table. Why oh why would she be saddled with Harry's violent cousin. Looking down at Dudley who seemed to be making a good impression with his fellow first years, she remembered her very first impression of the formerly enormous lad. He had been so polite and thoughtful at first, perhaps that side of him could be nurtured and brought to the forefront. Continuing to watch her first years interact, she concluded it more than likely whomever had been chosen as the boy's guardian did in fact encourage that aspect of Dudley. Perhaps having him be a Gryffindor wouldn't be so bad as she thought.

-o-o-

A disaster, a travesty, a mockery, it was pure insanity that the spawn of that bullying, arrogant, toerag James Potter wound up in his house. Severus Snape could hardly think for the rage bubbling up inside of him. The little snot even looked like his hated rival. There was no doubt in his mind that the son of Potter would be just as arrogant and spoiled as his father. Well he would see to it that the boy would be set down a peg or three. He was sure the other teachers would lavish special attention and privilege upon their precious Boy-Who-Lived. He would balance the equation, and ensure the snot-nosed brat would know his place. The only good thing about Potter being in Slytherin, is that it would make his job humbling the arrogant child that much simpler.

A cruel smile formed on his face. Perhaps he could even break the child, and reform him in his own image. Wouldn't that be a crowning achievement? The son of James Potter taking after Severus Snape.

His food lay forgotten on his plate as Snape made his plans.

-o-o-

"You have a visitor Mr. Black. It's up to you whether you want him to come up here to the sixth floor. If you'd rather, you can go down to the tea room on the fifth floor." Healer Brown explained. "Of course you can always refuse him, and we'll let him know you aren't taking visitors right now."

Sirius perked up immediately. "Is it Harry?"

The look of longing mixed with hope was a very odd sight on the face that not ten minutes earlier had flirted with her outrageously. "No, Harry is at Hogwarts right now. It's your uncle I believe, Cygnus Black. He's requested a meeting with you regarding, and I quote, 'A Black family matter young lady and none of your business.'"

"You said I could tell him to go away?" Sirius asked, contemplating just that. "Never mind, I'll go down and see what the evil old man has to say. Probably wants to tell me how disappointed he is that I turned out to be innocent after all."

"Well, I'll let you get dressed. I'll let him know where he can meet you." Brown paused for a moment, and looked over the recovering wizard. While still underweight, he no longer looked like a corpse. "On second thought, why don't you go meet him at the reception desk. Go take a walk, the exercise will help you recover what you lost wasting away in a prison cell."

As he stood to change from the thin hospital gown into his robes, he flashed her a roguish smile. "At least you see I'm fit to leave here. Now if only I can get the lovely Miss Abbott to agree with you."

"Oh I'm not saying you're healed. I just think you'll manage to keep up with a hundred and fifty year old man." She said casually as she walked out the door.

As Sirius dressed, he wondered what exactly Healer brown had meant, his uncle was only fifty three.

-o-o-

"What do you want uncle? Come to tell me how I should have been more like my brother Reg, or perhaps more like your own dear daughter Bella?" Sirius confronted his visitor at the Saint Mungo's reception desk.

Cygnus Black though only fifty three, did indeed look a century older just as Healer Brown had said. "Impertinent as always I see. Not here. We need to talk, and it has to be private." The once tall wizard while impeccably dressed, had his powerful image marred by being forced to hunch, and support himself with an elegant cane.

"Fine, we can leave the hospital and find a better location." Sirius said as he motioned for his uncle to lead. "I've been cooped up in a prison cell for the last ten years, so forgive me if I don't know any good tea rooms to chat in."

"Spare me your sarcasm. I have neither the patience nor the time to waste while we snipe at each other." He moved swifter that his appearance would suggest, and Sirius quickened his pace to follow. "For expediency we will talk in a muggle park nearby. The proper charms and open location will ensure our privacy."

After walking a few blocks, Sirius was chagrined to realize he was winded. His only consolation was that his uncle didn't appear to be holding up any better. They sat down on an empty park bench, and Cygnus carefully drew his wand. A slight flick hidden by his outer robes, and he cast a muggle repelling charm. Statute of Secrecy maintained, he then openly cast several more effective privacy charms.

"Okay, now what is this about? I thought the whole family was shunning me. After all I'm a 'blood traitor.' Well, what's so important you'd stoop to talk to your disgraceful nephew?" Sirius asked bitterly.

"For the time being, I've rescinded your disowning. I did so shortly after I became head of house, upon your grandfather Arcturus' death back in February." He held up a wizened hand to prevent comment. "The Black family is dying Sirius. At this point there are only two wizards capable of claiming the power I now hold as head of the family. You, and your cousin Draco Malfoy. Admittedly, when I brought you back into the family, I thought you had only been pretending to be a traitor."

He responded with an eye roll. "Thanks, but regardless of who betrayed what, surely you'd rather your own grandson inherit?" Sirius didn't really want to have anything to do with his bigoted family.

Cygnus fixed Sirius with a glare. "I normally would. However, I am unimpressed with the child so far. His parents are blind to it, but the boy is hot tempered, and ill suited to the role. I don't know why, Both Narcissa and Lucius are refined and collected." He sighed and laid his cane across his lap. "I don't see either one of you as suitable heirs, but the Black line must not die. I would name Narcissa as my heir if not for tradition dictating the Black line always have a male head."

"All of this is truly fascinating uncle, but why are you telling me all this? Surely you don't need my opinion to name an heir." Sirius said, confused as to why Cygnus was talking to him at all.

"As potential heir, you need to know the situation. I've already informed Narcissa and Lucius. They will tell Draco what he needs to know." Cygnus held up and looked at his wrinkled hands. "I am not long for this world. The healers have no idea what it is, but I'm aging at a frightening pace. They estimate within the year I will die. It is not enough time to personally see to it that either of you grow into an acceptable heir. Instead I have commissioned a portrait that will allow me, in a sense, to execute my own will. I have also made a list of requirements for either you or Draco to meet in order to be named heir. Both the list, and the portrait, are in the hands of the goblins. When I pass, you both will have five years to meet my requirements. Whomever meets them first will inherit. Should neither of you succeed, both of you will have your magic bound, and be cast out of the family as squibs."

"Are you insane!" Sirius cried, outraged. "You can't do that!"

"You will find, that as head of such an ancient and noble line, there is very little I can't do. At least not when it directly involves the family." Cygnus calmly said. "Here's a copy of the list. I suggest you seriously consider making use of the advantage your age gives you. I have done everything in my power to keep the Black family alive. The rest is up to you or Draco, I don't much care which one of you." Without another word, Cygnus stood and turned in place. A faint -crack- and he vanished.

-o-o-

The first year Gryffindors followed along after their fifth year prefects Jenna Carpenter and Percy Weasley. Dudley walked along side an Irish boy by the name of Seamus something or other, and Parvati Patil. He found it odd that Parvati had been sorted into Gryffindor, but her identical twin had gone to Ravenclaw. Parvati was chatting away with Lavender, and Seamus was talking football with a dark skinned boy whose name he didn't catch.

Dudley didn't really mind being excluded, he was too busy tracking something floating up above them near the ceiling. At first he thought it was a ghost, like the ones they'd all seen at the feast, but whatever he saw was carrying something. Considering the ones at the feast passed through everything, he was pretty sure that ghosts couldn't do that.

When the troupe of Gryffindors finally ended their seemingly endless trek up staircase after staircase, they stood in front of a large portrait of a rather oversized woman, who was moving around in the painting and looking over all of the new Gryffindors. Dudley was reminded of his aunt Marge, he wondered briefly why they never tried to place him in her care. It probably was for the best, she wouldn't like magic anymore than his dad did, and she was often overbearing anyway. He wouldn't want to live with her constantly even if the whole magic thing wasn't an issue.

"Bombs away!" A mad cackle filled the hallway as dinner rolls started raining down upon them. Everyone threw their arms over their heads to defend against the thankfully soft bombardment.

"Peeves!" Percy roared. "Get out of here, or I'll go get the Baron to deal with you!"

The ghostlike man that was floating above them gave another cackle and flew down to skim over top of the first years' heads. "Have fun playing with your ickle firsties pretty petty perfect prefect Percy!" Peeves gave a shrill laugh and vanished through the floor behind them.

"That was Peeves." Percy said with anger in his voice. "You would all do well to avoid him. He's a poltergeist, and one of his favorite things to do is make students lake for class. He's harmless for the most part, but he has been known to ruin unwary students homework, so be careful."

Jenna was carefully holding back laughter as she turned to the painting and said, "Caput Draconis." Upon hearing the password, the portrait of a fat lady nodded, and the entire painting swung out from the wall, revealing a hidden room.

Dudley and a few of his classmates, were slightly less successful at hiding their mirth. In his outrage Percy had flushed, and now his face was nearly as red as his hair. Thankfully, he was more patient with first years than poltergeists, and ignored the laughter at his expense. He merely led everyone into the room, and stepped inside after glaring at his fellow prefect for her laughter.

Percy gave everyone a quick rundown of the Gryffindor common room, and where the dorms were located. Then led the boys up to their room, while his partner ushered the girls up a different set of stairs.

"A last word of warning before we all go to bed tonight. The stairs to the girl's dorm is enchanted so that an alarm will sound if a boy tries to climb them. The boy in question will also be forcefully ejected, so don't get any ideas." Percy informed the boys, a couple of which blushed in understanding. The rest merely looked confused, wondering why such a system existed.

-o-o-

Kevin Selwyn and Gemma Farley were the fifth year Slytherin prefects. They had their first years line up two at a time, and led them down into the castle dungeons. The group was stopped at a seemingly blank stretch of hallway. Harry looked around, not seeing any discerning features in the cold damp stone walls.

"Unlike the other houses, our common room is well hidden." Farley explained to the confused children. "As Slytherins, you are expected to be able to find your way without an obvious entrance. Any guesses as to how I know we are at the entrance? Better yet, can any of you point out the door itself?"

As several of the first years looked around trying to guess the secret, Harry noticed Draco smirking. "What's so funny?" Harry asked. "Have you figured it out?"

"Of course I have. My father described it well." He bragged with a whispered voice. "I'm standing on the stone that points out the door."

Harry looked down as Draco shifted his foot. There was a single stone that was narrower than the rest of the stones in the floor. On the face of the stone, nearly worn away completely, was an etched picture of a snake with its tongue pointing at the wall.

"Mister Potter, you seem to have an idea. Care to help the rest of us?" Selwyn asked when he noticed Harry staring at the floor.

He quickly glanced at Draco, who nodded almost imperceptibly. "Um, there's a picture of a snake on the floor, and I think its pointing there." He aimed a finger at the wall where the snake tongue directed. "Is that the door?"

"Very good Potter, you just won five points for Slytherin." Said Farley as she grinned. "Malfoy, take five yourself for guiding Potter to his discovery."

Draco's smirk faded as a shocked look passed over his face.

"This is the house of the cunning. This is a trait you all should have, but don't forget, your upperclassmen are just as cunning with more experience." Selwyn laughed, then said the password, "Strength in purity." The wall where Harry had pointed, opened up as a stone door slid out of the way. "Everybody get in and we'll go over a few basic rules before Gemma and I lead you to your rooms for the night."

Soon, the first year Slytherins were gathered around Selwyn and Farley, who stood in front of one of the massive windows that looked out into the Black Lake itself. A school of fish smoothly floated past before scattering to avoid the jaws of a larger mean looking fish.

"Alright. There are several things you aught to know, but tonight we'll just warn you about the three most important." Selwyn started off. "Number one: Learn all of the school rules, and memorize them. Do not get caught breaking any of them."

Farley jumped in with, "Number two: Slytherins watch out for each other. Outside of the Slytherin dungeon, it's us against them. I don't care if you hate each other. If they're wearing green and silver, you have their back, especially around Gryffindors."

"Number Three: Remember, Slytherins are cunning. Use the exact wording of every rule to your advantage." Selwyn finished.

"Alright, it's late. Unless there are any questions that can't possibly wait until morning, we should all head for bed." Farley said, stifling a yawn.

Without waiting for any such questions, she walked off calling the girls to follow her. Selwyn mirrored her action, and called for the boys to follow him.

-o-o-

"Severus, Severus! Wait for a moment, I'd like to have a word with you." McGonagall called out as she caught up to the hook nosed professor as he swiftly walked through the hall.

Snape did not stop, but he did slow as he turned to the transfiguration professor. "If it is so very important, you may accompany me. The headmaster wishes to speak with me before I see to my snakes."

Nodding she walked with him to Dumbledore's office in silence. Perhaps Severus would be more likely to listen in the presence of Albus anyway. They stopped briefly at the gargoyle guarding the stairway to the office, giving the password of "Licorice wands," they climbed the stairs.

"Severus, Minerva, do come in." Dumbledore's voice carried from inside the office, as Snape reached for the door. "Would either of you care for a sherbert lemon?" He asked as his two professors approached his desk.

Both declined, and remained standing. Snape looked back and forth between McGonagall and Dumbledore. "Well, you both claim to wish to speak with me. Can we get this over with? I'd like to make sure my prefects are set sometime before midnight."

"Now now Severus, no need rush. Your prefects know what is expected of them. They will be fine for the time being." Dumbledore said as popped one of the offered candies into his mouth. "I would like to speak with you about young mister Potter."

McGonagall nodded. "That's my concern as well."

"Ah yes. I should have known. This is where I am told the brat is to be given every advantage and privilege that he does not deserve." Snape sneered. "I'd like to remind you both that he is in my house, and therefore is subject to my judgment. I will not be giving him the oh so special treatment I'm sure you want to bestow upon him."

"Severus! He is an eleven year old boy, and you do not have the information to judge him at all." McGonagall rebuked him.

Dumbledore sat quietly, allowing the budding argument before him to play out before interfering. It seemed that Severus still held tight to his schoolyard grudge against James Potter.

Snape scoffed. "I know enough. He is a spoiled child who has been given everything he has ever wanted. He is no doubt just as much an arrogant troublemaker as his father was."

McGonagall was sorely tempted to hex Severus, but held her temper in check. "You are incorrect. He was raised by muggles that happened to loathe magic. He was abused Severus, not spoiled. He was given nothing and expected to serve the rest of the family like a house elf."

The scathing reply Snape had prepared, withered and died. "Muggles? What muggles? Why would he have been raised by... no, not Petunia? Albus you didn't." He looked at Dumbledore incredulously.

"I'm afraid that I had made a grave error in my judgment all those years ago. I used the familial connection to fuel powerful wards to protect Harry from outside forces." Dumbledore shook his head with genuine regret. "Alas it never occurred to me that he would need defending from the very family that should have cared for him."

McGonagall shifted her glare from Snape to Dumbledore. "It should have Albus. I warned you didn't I? I told you what kind of people they were, but you overruled me. You were so confident that I let you convince me. A decision that I now sorely regret."

For a fleeting moment, Dumbledore looked his age. The youthful vigor he normally held shriveled away, leaving him tired and worn. "I am only now coming to realize my many mistakes as of late." He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, determination shone from within. "The past has happened, and it cannot be changed. We can only move forward." He turned to stare at his Slytherin head of house. "Severus, I trust now that you are better informed, you will not burden Harry with the grudge you still hold against his father?"

"I will let the boy represent himself to me. I won't assume he is as his father was." Snape turned to leave. "I will not coddle him, or grant him leniency either. He will earn his place the same as any of my other snakes."

"I suppose I cannot ask for more than that." Dumbledore muttered just loud enough to be heard. "Minerva, will that appease you as well?" He asked the witch as she too made to leave.

"For now, but I'll be watching. If I find you've stepped out of line, I'll get you tossed out on your ear, even if I have to go over Albus' head to do so." She warned, as she watched Snape's retreating form.

-o-o-

The next day, Sirius woke up in his hospital bed with the list his uncle had given him laying next to him. It was crumpled, and slightly torn where he'd rolled onto it after falling asleep. Grumbling, he picked it up and re-read it.

 _Item 1: The primary responsibility of the head of house Black, should be the respectable continuation of the bloodline. Therefore, my heir must either be married, or betrothed, with contractual obligation to sire at least two sons. It should go without saying, that more children is encouraged. The act of taking on a mistress to allow for more possible heirs should not be overlooked, but neither will it be required._

 _Item 2: Toujours pur is our family motto for a reason. The sullying of our rich and noble blood with that of a muggle's is unacceptable. The wife and mistress mentioned in item 1 must have pure blood._

 _Item 3: My heir must carry himself with dignity and poise, as would be expected of a noble pure-blood. A calm collected demeanor must be kept at all times when in public. Giving in to one's passion leads to poor judgment. This perhaps is the reason our line is in danger of dying out. While the cause may have been just, allowing so many of our family to join with the Dark Lord led to our current dilemma._

 _Item 4: The ability to lead is undeniably necessary. This must be demonstrated through not just word, but deed as well. Without an able leader, the family cannot prosper._

 _Item 5: Our fortune was once vast and unrivaled. After the ravages of the last war, our family vault is sparse. My heir must prove himself capable of managing the family fortune._

 _Item 6: The above terms must be met, and proven before my portrait, which will be held by Gringotts for no longer than five years. Should no heir be proven worthy in that time, then the house of Black shall fall. Though it pains me greatly, I would rather see us die, than see our noble family live on in disgrace. The possible heirs, Sirius Orion Black and Draco Lucius Malfoy, both having failed will have their magic bound, and be disowned to live out their existence as squibs. The money, property, and heirlooms that would normally be passed to the next head, shall be divided up among those more deserving._

A knock on the door was followed a few seconds later by Healer Abbott carefully entering. "I understand you received some distressing news the other night. Would you like to talk about it?"

"Shouldn't you have waited for me to say you could come in? For all you knew, I was starkers." Sirius asked distractedly, still looking at the list.

"If you had been naked, I'm certain you would have called out a warning. Then again perhaps not. You have been flirting indecently with every witch that passes your door." She said calmly while she adjusted a chair to face the bed, and sat down.

"Here." He tossed the list at Abbott, who deftly plucked it out of the air to read. "Because of the reasons laid out in item 6, I have to try and meet the demands of my mad uncle. Item 5 is no big deal. Item 4 shouldn't be too hard either. Item 3 will involve a bit of work if I'm being honest with myself. Items 1 and 2 however... How do I explain to a witch that the only reason I want to marry her is so that I can inherit? Oh yeah, and she'd have to pop out at least two sprogs. Never mind that I have to limit myself to pure-bloods only."

"Well, considering the time frame, perhaps it's not quite as bad as you're thinking." She said delicately, trying not to set him off.

Sirius looked at her as if she'd stated firmly that up was down. "Not bad!? Of course it's bad! Because of my insane uncle, I'm going to have to become everything I hated about my family." He threw his hands into the air. "If it weren't for Harry, I'd give serious thought to letting my magic be bound. Lilly introduced us all to the muggle world when we were teens. It's not that bad, I think I could manage. I can't do it though, I need my magic to do right by Harry."

"I can't help you with most of this list, but if you'll let me, I think I can help you control your emotions better. It will take care of item 3, and more importantly, it will help you heal to the point where I'll gladly sign the papers that will let you see Harry."

"Right, fine, let's do this." Sirius agreed. "I have five years anyway. Seeing Harry takes priority." He grew thoughtful. "I wonder how he's doing. Is McGonagall still head of house? Considering the stuff James and I did, she's probably keeping a close eye on Harry. Poor kid, he won't be able to get away with anything."

"Sorry, but Harry isn't a Gryffindor." Abbott stopped Sirius before he could speculate too much.

He looked shocked. "He's not? How do you know?"

She pulled out a picture of a little blonde haired girl. "This is my niece Hanna, I just adore her. My sister in law keeps me up to date on how her daughter is doing, and Hanna just got sorted into Hufflepuff. She wrote home right after the sorting, and also mentioned which house got Harry Potter."

"Well don't just sit there. Which house? Is he a genius like his mum? Did he go to Ravenclaw?" He asked, eagerly wanting to know.

"The hat put him in Slytherin. Apparently the entire school was shocked."

Sirius froze, hardly able to process what Healer Abbott had just told him. His godson, the child of James and Lilly Potter, a snake?

-o-o-

Authors Note: Sorry about the minor cliffhanger, it's just how this chapter wanted to end. Sirius' reaction, will come first thing next chapter I promise.

The whole Cygnus plot line was supposed to be a quick explanation of why canon Sirius inherited when he'd supposedly been kicked out of the family. Like everything else though, it has grown beyond the original idea. Before anyone asks, I have no idea who I'll pair Sirius with, but I am open to suggestions. Suggestions for the children will be ignored, they are eleven and don't need to be thinking of such things just yet.


	8. Potions and ambushes

Authors Note: This chapter gave me trouble at first, but then it picked up steam, and I managed to write out the lion's share in less than two hours. As usual please leave your thoughts in a review, especially if you have a critique or suggestion. Special thanks to those who have been reviewing, I appreciate every one.

To Bob Reviewing chapter 7: I'm glad I can make you laugh. As for your suggestion, unfortunately she is a muggleborn who married into a pure-blood line, so that's two issues disqualifying her, sorry. I know I didn't outright say that, but it is inferred in chapter 2.

For Harry's friends, anything is possible, but can you honestly see Ron being friends with a Slytherin?

For adventures, I can't think of a way to answer without giving something away.

Update: Changed Timothy Nott to Theodore Nott... Whoopsy.

-o-o-

Chapter 8

Potions and ambushes.

-o-o-

"He's just ranting about how awful it is. I was forced to take his wand and lock him in his room; he keeps trying to head over to Hogwarts. I just can't seem to reach him anymore. I had a feeling he wouldn't like the news, but I had no idea it would be this bad." The head of Healer Abbott floated in the green flames of the Tonks fireplace. "He once mentioned that you were his favorite cousin, do you think you could talk to him? Get him to realize it's not as bad as it seems?"

Andromeda simply said, "Back up, I'm coming through." As soon as Abbott's head disappeared, but before the flames had a chance to revert, she stepped into the fire.

-o-o-

"Sirius Orion Black, what do you think you're doing." Andromeda demanded. "Pull yourself together and have a civil discussion, or so help me I'll hex you so bad you'll think I'm aunt Walburga."

Sirius gave her a hurt look. "Andy, you don't understand. Slytherin, they put him in Slytherin!"

She returned his look with a frosty glare. "I am a Slytherin too Sirius, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"That's different, you're one in a million, a good Slytherin. Like how Pettigrew was the opposite, an evil Gryffindor." He waved off her objection. "Please Andy, you have to see that it's wrong for him to be a snake. I have to know how this happened, and then I can figure out how to fix it."

-Slap-

Sirius stopped talking, a shocked look displayed clearly on his face. Slowly a red hand-print formed on his cheek.

"If you are quite through." Andromeda said coldly. "There is nothing you need to 'fix' about Harry. Healers Brown and Abbott have done an admirable job sending him down the path to heal. While what damage he has may have led to him becoming a Slytherin, there is nothing about being Slytherin that requires 'fixing.' Understand?"

"No, no I don't." He shook his head. "Why did he need healers, what happened to him? Who do I need to go after?"

Andromeda's gaze melted slightly. "I didn't realize. -Sigh- I'm sorry Sirius I thought you knew."

She then proceeded to tell Sirius what had happened to his godson while he was in Azkaban. The details were never fully revealed to her, but she explained what she knew, and supplemented it with what her family suspected. She went over Harry and Dudley being taken away from the muggles, and their time in Saint Mungo's. Finally she finished with how she was appointed by the Wizengamot to care for both boys, and the time they'd spent as a part of her family.

"Before you get any ideas, Amelia Bones assured me that the muggles responsible are being taken care of by the muggle courts." She said, knowing full well what her cousin was planning. "The last thing Harry needs is for you to run off half-cocked and get sent back to Azkaban for killing muggles. This time you wouldn't be found innocent."

"I, I need some time to think. Could you apologize to Healer Abbott for me?" He sheepishly asked. "I wasn't exactly in my right mind earlier."

"You can apologize yourself later." She fondly patted his cheek. "I'll leave you to absorb everything. If you'd like, Ted and I can visit you later in the week.

As Andromeda started to leave, Sirius softly asked a final question. "Is he happy? With you I mean."

"I believe he is beginning to learn how to be happy, yes." She gave him a gentle smile. "It's really my daughter Nymphadora that he's latched onto. You'd think she actually was his sister the way she cares for him."

"Okay Andy. I'm not happy about it, but I'll try to accept it regardless." He watched his cousin leave, and started thinking in earnest how to accept that his best friend's son is a Slytherin.

-o-o-

At breakfast, Dudley found himself between Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnigan. The former was doing more to curb Dudley's appetite than the combined efforts of the healers and the Tonks'. The red haired Gryffindor was inhaling the food around him as if he feared it would vanish at any moment. Ron seemed like an okay guy, but Dudley swore never to eat with him again.

Seamus on the other hand, was more his style. The Irish boy was boisterous and outgoing. Back at Privet Drive, Dudley probably would have beaten him up, so he couldn't be a threat to his status as leader of the gang. Here though, Dudley decided to heed Healer Abbott's advice about making friends. He seemed to have done well enough getting Lavender to like him, so why not Seamus?

Today was Friday, and it was the first time that Dudley would share a class with his cousin. The Gryffindors and Slytherins had double potions together. He was slightly nervous. They had parted on okay terms, but he'd since learned that there was something of a fierce rivalry between the two houses. After all he'd put Harry through growing up, he was wary of the smaller boy getting help from his new housemates to get revenge.

"What do you guys think potions will be like?" Dudley asked, trying to get a feel for what was up ahead.

"It's gonna be awful. Snape hates Gryiffindors, and always favors the Slytherins. At least that's what Fred and George tell me." Ron said through a mouthful of bacon. Swallowing he continued. "Normally I wouldn't trust my brothers, but I've heard them complain about the greasy git and his snakes for years now."

"It can't be that bad right?" Asked Seamus. "I mean Snape's still a professor right? He can't be too horrible or they'd sack him."

"Dunno, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on those slimy snakes. Don't want to give them a chance to prank you right?" Ron took a large swig of pumpkin juice. "What about you Dudley, isn't Harry Potter your cousin? What's it like to have an evil snake like that as family?"

Dudley looked across the hall and saw Harry talking with a dark skinned boy and a real pale blonde boy. 'Evil' was the last word he'd use to describe his cousin. "He's not like that. I don't think he's ever done anything bad to anyone, not on purpose anyway." Thinking back on everything, Dudley realized that there were several occasions where Harry's accidental magic had both protected him, and taken revenge for him. Like the time he'd been chasing Harry through the park and a smooth snake had sprang out of nowhere and wrapped itself around Dudley's arm. Unconsciously, Dudley rubbed his shoulder where the snake had bitten him repeatedly before he could shake it off.

Ron gave him a disbelieving look, but shrugged and continued his breakfast.

-o-o-

Harry walked up to breakfast with Blaise and Draco. Crabbe and Goyle followed behind as usual. Harry still didn't get how Draco could feel so comfortable have the two brutish boys following him everywhere. For that matter, he still wondered why they were content to just stand in Draco's shadow, sometimes literally.

"Double potions with professor Snape today, shame it has to be with the Gryffindors." Draco said casually as he carefully served himself breakfast. "It's bad enough we have to have Charms with Hufflepuff."

"They seem nice, I don't get why you don't like them." Harry defended his sister's house.

"Malfoy doesn't like having to share a room with mud-bloods and blood-traitors." Blaise answered while filling his own plate. "At least there are some decent families in Hufflepuff. Even he can't deny that the Smiths have good breeding. Of the pure-bloods that Gryffindor does have; there is the squib Longbottom, the blood-traitor Weasley, and the Brown girl. I'm not sure where the Browns stand, but that in and of itself means they probably aren't our sort."

"You know I'm a half-blood right, not everyone can be a pure-blood like you." Harry said, starting to get frustrated with his new friends' views.

Blaise waved his hand dismissively. "No, but not every half-blood is in Slytherin. Add that you're heir to the house of Potter, and you fit in with us quite nicely. I'm not so shortsighted to think that only pure-bloods are worth anything. Besides, assuming you marry a suitable girl, your own children will have pure blood."

Shocked, and slightly embarrassed at the thought, Harry looked at Blaise questioningly. "Married? We're kids, why would you even bring something like that up?"

"It's not that farfetched." Draco looked a little bitter. "Sometimes parents still arrange marriages for their kids."

"Speaking from experience Malfoy?" Blaise looked amused. "You've been a bit off lately, get some unpleasant news from home? I hear the Weasleys have a girl a year behind us, maybe they've petitioned for a betrothal contract that will bring them out of squalor."

Draco glared at Blaise. "One of these days your mouth is going to get you in trouble Zabini." He fell back into his chair petulantly. "I'm in line to possibly become the next head of the Black family. There's a big list of requirements that have to be met soon though. One is that I have to get betrothed. So far my father is in negotiation with the Parkinsons and the Greengrasses."

Blaise looked surprised, he'd just been teasing. "At least they aren't talking with the Bulstrodes."

"Thankfully one of the requirements is the bride must be a pure-blood. Millicent is half-blood, so I'm safe." Draco said, still irritated with where the conversation had gone.

-o-o-

In the potions classroom, Harry and Blaise sat next to each other reading out of their potions books. Earlier in the week, Professor Snape had warned the first year Slytherins that he would expect them to excel in his class. They were told to be sure they read ahead, and in the common room was a list of the potions that each year would be working on next. The list also had tips that were not in the textbook that told how to brew the potion easier.

Soon the Gryffindors filed in, and Harry noticed his cousin sit down next to a boy with about the same amount of extra pudge. The students all sat in silence Distrustful glances were cast back and forth between the rival houses.

The door slammed open, startling several people, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike. In swept Snape, who proceeded to give a speech about the difficulty of his course, and how little confidence he had that they would be able to grasp the material.

Snape stalked around the room, and the boy sitting next to Dudley looked as if he was about to wet himself. Suddenly he began barking out questions. "Potter! Tell me, what would I have if I mixed powdered root of asphodel and an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry blinked as the professor's eyes met his own. He'd literally just read that in his textbook before the professor walked in. "You'd have the base for the Draught of Living Death sir." Snape stared at Harry for an uncomfortable moment before moving on.

"Correct. Mister Weasley! Where would I find a bezoar?" He questioned turning away from Harry.

Ron shot up straight in his chair. "Uh... In the potions supply cabinet?"

Snape gave him a scathing look. "That will be one point from Gryffindor for your cheek." He turned to rest his eyes on Harry's cousin. "Mister Dursley! If I gave you a pile of monkshood and wolfsbane, how would you separate them?"

Dudley looked completely lost. "Um, I don't know. Into two separate piles?"

Sweeping away from the Gryffindor side of the room, he addressed his Slytherins. "Mister Malfoy, a bezoar. Where would I find it?"

Draco responded immediately, sending a smirk across the way to Ron Weasley. "In the stomach of a goat sir, it will cure most poisons if swallowed quickly."

Nodding Snape continued. "Miss Greengrass, monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Daphne Greengrass primly responded. "They can't be sorted because they are the same plant. I believe it's also called Aconite."

Snape smiled, and then faced the entire class with a decidedly less pleasant look. "Weasley, Dursley, lose two points each for being unprepared. This is not a class that you can simply coast through. Everyone who did not know the answers to those three questions had best write them down now."

Most of the Gryffindors started scribbling madly. Even though most of the Slytherins knew the answers, they all wrote it down as well.

At the halfway mark of the double class, Snape called everyone's attention to the board, and with a wave of his wand, instructions were revealed for a boil curing potion. "This is likely one of the simplest potions you will encounter. I loathe to see how most of you manage to screw it up. Instructions are on the board. Follow them, and with luck a few of you just might manage a passable potion."

Harry and Blaise worked together, carefully referring to both the board, and the tips they had copied down from the common room. As class was coming to an end, their potion had turned a pleasant blue color which was encouraging. It lacked the pink smoke of Draco and Theodore Nott's potion however, which was less encouraging.

Harry noticed that several other potions were much worse off. Crabbe and Goyle were poking at a greyish green potion that looked the consistency of oatmeal. Across the way, he saw a bushy haired girl who was paired with a blonde girl he'd seen with Dudley. The two girls looked to have a potion just as good as Draco's, but the rest of the Gryffindors weren't doing so well.

A sharp cry came from Dudley, as he jumped back away from his cauldron. The other pudgy boy was whimpering, and soon was covered with boils. Their cauldron was melting, and their potion seeped across the ground. Students jumped up on their chairs left and right before Professor Snape managed to vanish the potion.

"Idiot boy, I suppose you forgot to take the cauldron of off the fire before you added the porcupine quills? Dursley, take Longbottom to the infirmary, and next time pay more attention to your partner. There are other potions that will fail even more violently if made with such lack of care. You've lost another point for failing to prevent Longbottom's mistake." Snape hurried them out of the classroom, and had everyone else turn in a labeled phial of their potion.

As Harry set his and Blaise's phial on Snape's desk, the professor looked at him with a blank expression. "Potter, stay after once you've finished cleaning your workspace." His voice was level and unreadable.

Once everyone else had left, Snape closed the door with a wave of his wand. And stared at Harry for an uncomfortable moment. "You have her eyes."

"Pardon sir?" Harry said confused, and more than a little nervous.

"Your mother, you have her eyes. She was a brilliant witch, and with the exception of my own talent, unmatched in brewing." He said, his voice and features still not giving away any clue as to his feelings. "There were only four potions turned in worth grading, yours among them. If you wish to make your mother proud, I suggest you do better next time. There were two clearly better than your own."

"Uh, thank you sir, I think. I'll try harder next time." Then it hit him what his head of house was saying. "Wait, you knew my mother?"

"I did, yes." He stood up and opened the door. "Remember Potter, I expect better from you next time."

He was confused about the backhanded praise, especially after the glares he's received from the man at the opening feast. Harry slung his bag over his shoulder, and left to join up with his friends who were waiting just outside the door. He could figure out his head of house later.

-o-o-

"Ron wasn't wrong at all, Snape's a bloody nightmare." Dudley groused as he led the boil covered Neville Longbottom toward the infirmary. "Almost there, and here we are." He nudged the door open with his foot, and brought Neville into the sterile room where earlier in the week Madam Pomfrey had checked him over, and confirmed that he no longer required nutrient potions.

"Oh dear, what happened to Mister Longbottom?" The school matron asked as she quickly crossed the room to help ease Neville onto a bed.

"It was an accident in potions. Our cauldron melted, and Neville got splashed." Dudley explained.

She passed her wand over the whimpering boy, and nodded. "I assume you were attempting a boil curing potion?" At the sight of Dudley nodding yes, she walked to her potion stores and pulled out a phial containing a clear blue potion. "You can run along now Mister Dursley. I'll send Mister Longbottom on his way once his skin clears up."

-o-o-

While attempting to walk back to Gryffindor tower, Dudley ran afoul the combination of Peeves and a trick staircase that seemed to go up, but instead placed him on a floor below where he'd started. In an attempt to escape Peeves, Dudley found himself completely lost.

"Look who we have here. Lost are you Dursley?" Draco laughed as Dudley spun around to see who was talking. "A mud-blood like you shouldn't even be here. Go back home to your muggle parents."

Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle laughed as Dudley's face turned purple with anger. Harry remained off to the side, not laughing, but his eyes betrayed his amusement.

"Don't talk about my parents Malfoy." He spat. His parents' betrayal still hurt, and mention of them brought a sick twisting feeling to his chest.

Draco smirked. "Sore spot Dursley? My father told me all about what happened. I guess if I were in your shoes I wouldn't want to hear about them either. Too bad your so ugly, otherwise you could have tried to pass yourself off as a half-blood. You're clearly too muggle to do any better than that."

"Well, I don't know what you're talking about Draco, but if I had muggle parents I'd be ashamed of them too." Added Blaise while Crabbe and Goyle continued to chortle.

Harry started to feel a little bad, but couldn't help but enjoy seeing his former tormenter on the other side of the equation.

Enraged, Dudley surged forward intent on punching Malfoy right in the nose. Draco calmly raised his wand and cast a tripping jinx which caused Dudley to fall forward and land flat on his face. This brought more laughter from the Slytherins, this time Harry even joined in.

"Stupid mud-blood, trying to fight like a muggle. Did you forget you have a wand?" Draco looked down his nose at the fallen Gryffindor. "Remember your place mud-blood, and respect your betters."

"What's going on over here?" A voice cut through the laughter. Professor Sprout walked up, and helped Dudley to his feet.

"Nothing professor. Dursley here just tripped and fell, I feel awful that we couldn't stop ourselves from laughing." Draco took on an air of innocence, but since Dudley did not disagree, she could not call him on it.

"Well, so long as you're all right Mister Dursley, head on past your classmates, and take the first set of stairs. Follow the hall straight, and you'll reach the great hall. You can find your way from there right?" Sprout asked Dudley who had calmed down.

"Yeah, no problem." Dudley slowly walked past the Slytherins, stopping for a second in front of Harry. "You know your mum was a 'mud-blood' too. Wouldn't she be proud of her son?" The venom in his voice cut through Harry like a knife. Before he could respond, Dudley disappeared heading for the great hall.

"I doubt that everything happened the way you described Mister Malfoy. Consider yourselves all warned. I will not tolerate bullying, and if I catch you in a similar situation, expect detentions with Caretaker Filch." Her eyes came to rest on Harry. "Mister Potter, I dare say your mother would not have been happy to learn you've been picking on other students. A Gryiffindor like her would have insisted you stand up for your cousin. For that matter so would I, had you been sorted into my house."

As the Slytherin boys walked away from the Hufflepuff head of house, Blaise spoke up. "I think I'm insulted. She says shame on you to Potter, but seems to think she can expect no better from the rest of us."

"What you think we should be ashamed for showing a mud-blood where he stands?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

Blaise shook his head. "Of course not, I just find it odd how she singled him out."

"I didn't know my mum was a Gryffindor." Harry softly said with his head hung low. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Relax Potter, all we were doing was messing with your cousin. You said yourself he used to bully you all the time." Draco said, brushing off the whole incident.

Harry just continued to study his shoes as they headed back to their common room.

-o-o-

-WHAM- Dudley slammed his fist into the rich stained wood of his four-poster bed.

"Woah mate what's got into you?" Ron asked, impressed that Dudley had managed to not break his hand.

"Nothing. You're were right about Slytherins, that's all." He dropped heavily onto his bed, and stared up at the canopy. "I thought my cousin wasn't like that. Wasn't like me." He whispered the last part too soft for the other boys to hear.

Seeing how upset Dudley was, Ron went over to where Seamus and Dean Thomas were arguing over some muggle version of quidditch. "You guys want to help me get back at those slimy snakes? Especially that traitor Potter. His parents were Gryffindors like us, I'll bet they're rolling around in their graves over this."

Dudley only caught a little of what the other three boys were talking about, something about Harry's parents being Gryffindors. Not caring enough, he just stared at nothing, while he tried to figure out why he cared so much about what his cousin did.

-o-o-

After learning that they had been near the Hufflepuff common room when the Dudley incident occurred, Harry found himself wandering around the area. He had been hoping to find Dora, but had no idea how to actually do so.

"It's not often I find a Slytherin student walking around alone." An older Hufflepuff boy noticed Harry, and walked toward him. "Are you lost? The dungeons are that way." He pointed the way Harry had come from.

Harry shrank in on himself a little, and shook his head no. "I was hoping to find my sister, she's a Hufflepuff.

"I'm one of the Hufflepuff prefects. I'll see if she's in common room or dorms. What's your sister's name?" He asked.

"She likes to be called Tonks." Harry said, not wanting to use her full name even without her nearby.

"Tonks? I didn't know she had a brother." The prefect looked surprised. "Doesn't matter, I think I saw her earlier, follow me."

The prefect said his name was Gabriel Truman as they walked. Gabriel tried to be as friendly as he could, but Harry was too withdrawn, so he gave up on cheering up the depressed looking first year. Tonks would be able to cheer him up. That girl could bring a smile to anyone's face, except maybe for Snape or Filch.

Gabriel disappeared through a large barrel after he told Harry to wait in the hall. Soon he came back out with Tonks, who was sporting her favorite hair as of late, a bubblegum pink pixie cut.

"Wotcher squirt, you were looking for me?" She waved Gabriel off, and led Harry to an unused classroom so they could talk in private.

"Do you know what house my parents were in?" He asked, looking up at her. "Professor Sprout said my mum was a Gryffindor."

Confused as to where Harry was going with this, she answered anyway. "She was, so was your dad. I think they were actually head boy and girl their seventh year."

"How come nobody told me that?" Harry sat down on a desk, and drew his legs in, clutching them to his chest. "They probably would hate to know that I wound up in Slytherin."

"Aw come on squirt. They wouldn't have cared. Probably a bit surprised, but I'm sure they would love you no matter what." She assured him, mussing up his already wild hair. "We never told you because we didn't think it mattered."

"But Gryffindors hate Slytherins." He said, unshed tears glistening in his eyes.

Dora rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I guess there is some bad blood there. What brought all this on anyway?"

"My friends were picking on Dudley, and Professor Sprout came by and stopped it." He dropped his head in shame. "She told me my mum would be ashamed of me for not standing up for him."

She sat next to him and wrapped one arm around him, drawing him in for a loose hug. "Well, you probably should have. If your friends were bullying him, you might want to try and find better friends. We all make mistakes though. I'd try and catch Dudley to apologize if I were in your shoes right now."

"I don't know, he seemed pretty mad." Harry did not want to give Dudley the opportunity to beat him up. Since losing all that weight, Dudley was even stronger than before. Crabbe and Goyle were pretty strong, but Harry guessed that without Draco providing magical support, Dudley could take on all three himself.

"All the more reason to apologize sooner rather than later." She rubbed his back, trying to calm the boy who was clearly stressing out over this. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Harry thought about that, Dora being there would probably prevent Dudley from hitting him. "Maybe, I don't want to do it today though. Can I give him a little time to cool off?"

"If that's what you want, but seriously, don't put it off for too long." She gave him a squeeze and stood up.

"Thanks sis." Harry uncurled himself, and let his legs dangle off the edge of the desk. "Hey, um. One of my friends just found out his parents are making him get betrothed. Something to do with becoming the family head I think. Your mum wouldn't do that to me right?"

Dora almost laughed, but caught herself in time. "No, I can't see mum ever doing that. Why would you think she'd try?"

"Well, I'm the last Potter right? I was worried that might mean I'd have to get married right away or something."

This time she did laugh. "I wouldn't worry about it squirt. It is pretty common for witches and wizards to get married right out of school, but I promise you that if you get married it will be up to you when it happens." She looked at him with a half grin. "Well okay, it will probably be up to the lucky witch, but I don't think you have to worry about that for a while yet."

She waved her wand in the air and said, "Tempus." Widening her eyes in surprise, she gave Harry a quick hug. "Sorry squirt, but I have to go. You might have a free period, but I'm late for class." As she rushed out the door, she gave a reminder. "Don't forget, come and find me when you're ready to apologize to Dudley."

-o-o-

That weekend, Harry had taken to wandering the school by himself against the advice of the other Slytherins. He just felt like being alone. Not paying attention to where he was going he found himself on the third floor. He idly checked a door in passing. Finding it locked he figured it was either closed off for some reason, or just a section of wall pretending to be a door. Moving on, he turned a corner and found himself surrounded by three Gryffindor first years with their wands drawn.

"It's time you learned a lesson Potter." A red haired boy said with a sneer. Ron Weasley he thought. "We Gryffindors watch out for our own. You mess with one of us, you mess with us all."

-o-o-

Dudley was trying to find Seamus, an older Gryffindor had told him a spell that was supposed to turn water into rum. He figured the Irish boy would be interested in trying it out with him. He could have sworn he'd seen him walking this way with Dean and Ron.

Turning a corner, he saw his three friends surrounding a Slytherin with messy black hair who had curled up in and tried to protect himself by holding his arms in front of his face. His three roommates were taking turns sending minor hexes and jinxes at the prone boy. He suddenly saw himself and his gang standing over his cousin, and felt sick at the parallel.

"Oy guys, lay off of him." He called out. "Three on one isn't right." Again he felt sick as he remembered how his friends and he had ganged up on Harry in the past.

The boys stopped their casting, and Ron turned to face Dudley. "Just getting a little payback for you mate. Don't worry, the Slytherins will think twice before attacking one of us again."

Dudley noticed the Slytherin cautiously peer out from behind his arms. It was Harry. The blood drained from his face, and then quickly returned as he got angry. Quicker than his pudgy frame would suggest, Dudley was upon Ron who was closest. He grabbed the redhead and bodily slammed him into the wall, lifting him up and pinning him there by brute force.

"Listen here Weasley. Harry might be a Slytherin, but he's my cousin. Got that?" At the wide eyed boy's hurried nod, Dudley let him drop and turned to face Dean and Seamus. "We're Gryffindors. Supposed to be house of the brave. Brave lot you are, ganging up on a single kid smaller than any of you."

Before things could escalate any further, a throat clearing drew everyone's attention to Professor McGonagall with crossed arms, and a scowl on her face.

"Well said Mister Dursley. Take five points for coming to the aid of a fellow student." Her face hardened even more as she then addressed the other three boys from her house. "As for you three, I am very disappointed. Ten points from Gryffindor each, and report to my office for detention after dinner for the next three days."

She walked over to where Harry was still curled up on the ground, large welts visible on his exposed arms. "Mister Potter, can you stand and walk to the infirmary, or do you need assistance?" A groan was his only response.

"Alright, Mister Dursley, follow along. I believe regardless of the circumstances it will be a good idea for you to catch up with you cousin." She levitated Harry with her wand, and had him trail along behind her. "You can explain what happened to Madam Pomfrey, and then you can keep your cousin company."

Dudley walked along side his floating cousin, feeling both proud and ashamed at the same time. Pride for using his strength to help someone for once, but shame for his past use of said strength. McGonagall led them both straight to the infirmary, making copious use of secret passages that Dudley hadn't seen before. She gently lowered Harry onto a bed. Then she told the matron that Harry had been attacked, and Dudley would provide details. As she left, Dudley repeated the incantations of the schoolyard jinxes he'd heard cast before he intervened.


	9. Flying lessons

Authors Note: Ugh, in an attempt to keep the children from sounding overly educated, I've been trying to make the effort to cripple my grammar and vocabulary for some of the kids' dialogue. It is a lot harder than I expected. Let me know if I slip up and make an eleven year old sound like an English major, or go too far the other direction.

I've moved review responses to the end of the chapter. To keep the start less cluttered.

Thank you to everyone who is enjoying my story, and special thanks to everyone who leaves reviews. Critiques help me improve, compliments encourage me to write, and comments often give me ideas.

-o-o-

Chapter 9

Flying lessons.

-o-o-

Harry hurt. His legs hurt bad; his body ached; and his arms, where he'd managed to at least protect his face, were on fire. The last time he felt this bad was when Dudley invented 'Harry Hunting' back when they were little. He'd been ambushed by three Gryffindor boys who's names he wasn't even sure he knew, then Dudley of all people came to his rescue. Now here he lay in a hospital bed in the infirmary feeling decidedly uncomfortable.

"Based on my initial scan, and your cousin's recollection, you've been struck by mostly stinging hexes. In addition you've been hit by a leg locker, and the dancing feet spell, which cannot be a pleasant combination. There are half a dozen other minor jinxes as well." Madam Pomfrey explained in a clinical manner. "Unfortunately I have to deal with everything else before I can tend to the welts left by the stinging hexes." As she talked, her wand and magic passed over Harry repeatedly.

As wave after wave of counter jinxes washed over him, Harry slowly felt better. His legs suddenly felt loads better as the leg locker followed by the dancing feet were dispelled one after the other. The dull ache of his welts was actually manageable now that the other jinxes were gone. He opened his eyes to see the school matron standing over him holding a jar.

"This salve will take care of those welts Mister Potter." She hefted the jar for emphases. "You may apply it yourself, or if you prefer I can do it."

Realizing that the welts covered his entire body, Harry blushed and quickly stammered, "I-I'll do it." He took the jar, and once the curtain was drawn closed he stripped down and covered his welts with the thick paste.

The salve worked well, and almost immediately he felt much better. He put his robes back on, and pulled back the curtain to return the used jar. There sitting in a chair waiting for him, was Dudley with his head hung low.

"Dudley? Why are you here?" Harry asked as he handed Madam Pomfrey the remains of the salve back. The healer walked off to give the boys privacy.

The larger boy looked up, and Harry saw regret in his cousin's eyes. "'M sorry. You know, for everything." Dudley let his head hang down to stare at the floor, but he continued to talk. "I know I've already said sorry, but now I really get what I used to be like. When you and the other Slytherin's were laughing at me, and Malfoy tripped me up, I got real mad."

"Look Dudley, I didn't..." Harry started.

"No, let me finish." Dudley said forcefully. "I got mad, but then I started thinking. It was like what me and Piers and the others would do to you. I didn't like what that made me..."

"I, uh, I guess it's okay. I mean you haven't done anything really since, well, you know." Harry stumbled over his words as he tried to make sense of what was going on. "I'm sorry about the other Slytherins. I, I should have stopped them."

"'S okay. Helped me see what a berk I was. What I'm really sorry about is, I guess Ron and the others decided to get revenge on you for me. I never told them to do anything I swear, and I didn't know about it neither." Dudley was clenching his fists so tightly they were turning white. "When I found them beating you up, I didn't know it was you at first. The whole thing reminded me so much of how me and the gang would beat up on you. I felt sick, still do. When I saw it was you, I lost it. If McGonagall hadn't shown up when she did... I think I might've really hurt them."

Harry fell back to sit on the bed behind him. He honestly didn't know how to process this. "I, uh, thanks for saving me?"

Dudley stood up, and gave Harry a weak smile. "Ted had been talking to me a lot, back before school started. I think he wants us to forget about... you know. I wish he was around to talk to still. Kind of jealous that you have Dora nearby." He nervously looked of to the side. "Well, I guess, if you want... Maybe we can start over? Pretend like we met at Hogwarts?"

This was way outside of anything Harry ever expected from his cousin. He latched on to the first thought he had to avoid the issue for now. "You can always write to Ted. There's supposed to be a bunch of school owls we can use."

Dudley looked a little sad, but thanked Harry for the idea, and headed toward the great hall for dinner.

-o-o-

"Where is everyone else?" Neville asked, wondering why he and Dudley were the only ones in their dorm room.

Dudley sat on his bed leaning over a piece of parchment with his quill scratching away. "They all got detention with McGonagall for three days straight." His voice was flat, and without emotion.

"It's only been a week. What did they do?" Neville set down the herbology textbook he'd been reading. "Are you okay? You sound kind of sad. Did they do something to you."

"Yes, no, sort of." Dudley let his quill drop, and sent the parchment, quill, and book he was writing on flying with a swipe of his arm. "How the bloody hell am I supposed to write with a stupid feather?"

Neville shrunk back, frightened by Dudley's outburst. "Sorry, I'll leave you alone."

Sighing, Dudley looked up at his fellow chubby first year. "It's not your fault. Ron, Dean, and Seamus cornered my cousin, and hexed him so much he couldn't move until Pomfrey fixed him. I stopped them, but McGonagall was there too. That's why they're in detention."

"That's awful. About your cousin I mean." Neville saw that Dudley was looking almost depressed, an emotion he was all too familiar with. "Um, would you like help with your homework? I can help you write with a quill better. Do they not use quills in the muggle world?"

Happy for the topic change, but frustrated about the new topic regardless, Dudley vented just a little. "No, we use pens. They just write, you don't need to keep dipping in the stupid inkwell, and you don't have to worry about bloody ink blots with a pen."

"Muggle pens are self inking? How can they do that without magic?" Neville asked in genuine confusion. He didn't know much of anything about muggles, or their world.

"Self inking? No, they just have a bunch of ink inside 'em already." Dudley picked his stuff up off of the floor, and put them back on his bed. "I wasn't doing homework, just trying to write a letter." He folded up the parchment he was writing on, and stuffed it under his pillow. Then he grabbed a new sheet, and motioned for Neville to join him. "Are you really, you know, good with these things?" He dangled his quill distastefully.

"My Gran made me practice a lot. She said that as the scion of the Longbottom family I had to have perfect penmanship." He grabbed his own supplies and sat next to Dudley.

-o-o-

"You doing okay squirt? Rumor has it that you tried to storm Gryffindor tower by yourself." She sat down on the edge of his bed. "Something tells me that's not even close to the truth. Want to tell me what really happened?"

"After the whole incident with Dudley on Friday, I kind of wanted to be alone. I started just wandering around. You know, exploring a bit. I figured knowing the castle better couldn't hurt, and it gave me time to think. I know I shouldn't have been wandering around alone, but I didn't want to talk with Draco and the others yet, and I don't really know anyone else." He shifted in the bed, sitting up a little straighter to get more comfortable. "I turned a corner, and there were three Gryffindors waiting for me. Next thing I know Dudley is saving my butt, and McGonagall is bringing me here."

A concerned look formed on her face, mixed with anger? Maybe. "What did they do to you? Do you know who they were?"

"I don't really know, after the first few spells hit me I just curled up and tried to protect my face. Madam Pomfrey fixed me up, but she won't let me leave until tomorrow. She said she wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything." The look on Harry's face nearly made Dora laugh, he clearly didn't want to stay any longer than he had to. She's nice and all, but this place isn't exactly as comfortable as the dorm, or even Saint Mungo's was."

"If it was too nice here, none of my patients would want to improve and leave. Think of it as encouragement to never have to come back here Mister Potter." Madam Pomfrey's sudden appearance startled Dora into sliding off of the bed. Landing hard, she swore before picking herself back up. "Miss Tonks, I should think you know better than to use such language, and you need not worry about Mister Potter's assailants. Professor McGonagall is dealing with the situation as we speak." The matron admonished.

"Sorry." Dora apologized while massaging her hip where it had struck the bed frame. "I wasn't going to do anything to the little prats." Noticing the disbelieving glare she was receiving from both the healer, and Harry, she added, "No really, I was just gonna scare 'em. Make sure they won't try anything again."

Pomfrey sniffed in disbelief. "Regardless of your intentions, you had best let the Professor handle it. Unless you feel you need a detention already. It's a little early in the semester even for you." She passed her wand over Harry a couple times while nodding. "Well, so far it seems you are doing just fine. If nothing happens by morning you will be free to go. If you need me, I'll be in my office. Just call out and I'll come to you. Oh, and Miss Tonks, you are free to stay as long as you return to your common room by curfew. Visiting Mister Potter is no excuse for being out after hours."

Wearing a big grin, Harry asked Dora, "So you get in trouble a lot?"

"Hey there, we aren't talking about me here." She grabbed a chair and brought it over to Harry's bed to sit on. "So Dudley protected you? Does that mean you managed to apologize to him without me?"

Harry looked down, embarrassed. "Yeah, before dinner. After Madam Pomfrey fixed me up, Dudley and I talked. I uh, I don't understand why Dudley is acting so weird. I mean he's never been nice to me before, and now he's... I don't know it's just weird."

"Well, I know dad had been talking with him a lot. Dad's a real friendly guy, and he probably wants you two to get along if not become close friends. I don't really know what they've talked about, but Dudley being nice has to be a good thing right?" She asked.

"I guess. I just don't believe it's real." Harry said, still avoiding eye contact. "We didn't just not get along, Dudley and I hated each other. I don't want to be caught off guard if he changes his mind, or if it was all a trick."

She leaned over, trying to catch his eye. "I don't know Harry. I mean, he did take on three other kids to help you out. Doesn't sound like a trick to me. I can tell you though, it makes sense that the hat put you in Slytherin. That sort of caution is classic green and silver."

Harry looked over at Dora and laughed at seeing her. She was nearly bent in half in her attempt to get him to look at her. He sobered, and wondered if she knew how much his placement had been concerning him. "Are you sure I should be in Slytherin? Maybe I should have let the hat put me in Gryffindor, or asked it to make me a Hufflepuff."

"You wouldn't have been put into any house if you didn't have what that house valued. Salazar Slytherin valued three things: ambition, cunning, and blood. Don't worry about the whole bloody purity thing, that's not important. I'll bet you've got ambition, and I know you can be clever. Look at it this way. Instead of worrying about what house you could have been in, make sure you do well in the house you are in." She stood up and mussed his hair, a habit he was starting to dislike. "Be the best Slytherin you can be. Mum was in Slytherin too, so if you want to send her an owl, she'll give you advice. No one who matters is disappointed with where you got sorted. If they are, then they don't matter. Got it?"

Nodding to himself with a small smile forming, he answered. "Got it. Thanks sis."

"Good, now I have to get going. I have an essay due Monday for McGonagall, and she does not accept excuses for late work." She gave him a quick hug, and headed out.

-o-o-

 _ **Dea** r Ted,_

 _Harry and I got put into rival h **ouse** s. Thats what everyone says. I'm a grifindor and h **es a slitherin**. On the train I tho **t we w** ere starting to ge **t along better. Here at scool** its not going so well. His new friends **are r** ite prats and mine are even worse. My stupid **frXieXnXds** roomates beat up Harry. I stopped them but not fast enuff. I d **ont think Ha** rry trusts me. I realy do want to be friends but I dont know how to._

 _Im mad at my rooma_ _ **tes b**_ _ut I have found a new friend. His name is_ _ **Neville Long**_ _bottom. He helped me learn ho_ _ **w to write wit**_ _h a quil. Why dont wi_ _ **zards u**_ _s_ _ **e**_ _pens_ _ **?**_ _Neville is nice but the oth_ _ **er kids**_ _pick on him and call him a sk_ _ **wib.**_

 _You were rite im n_ _ **ot as ba**_ _d at magic as I thot I was going to be. I like all of_ _ **my cla**_ _sses well enuff exept history and p_ _ **oti**_ _ons. History has a real ghost for a teacher. Youd think that wood_ _ **be co**_ _ol but hes so boring everyone_ _ **falls a**_ _sleep. Potions is the w_ _ **orst. The**_ _teacher is mean and dosnt seem to like grifindors at all._ _ **He took**_ _away 3 points from me be_ _ **cause I ans**_ _wered a qwestion wrong and didnt stop Neville and my potion fr_ _ **om me**_ _lting the pot. I didnt know it was going to_ _ **melt.**_ _Its not like we did it on perp_ _ **ose**_ _._

 _Thurs_ _ **day**_ _we get to lern how to f_ _ **ly! Ne**_ _vi_ _ **lle is**_ _scared but it sounds like fun to me. We a_ _ **re going to**_ _lern with the slitheri_ _ **ns. Do yo**_ _u know how I can get Harry to trust me? I want t_ _ **o start**_ _over with him but he need_ _ **s to st**_ _art over to or_ _ **i**_ _t wont work._

 _Du_ _ **dley**_

-o-o-

 _Dudley,_

 _Congratulations on your sorting, I'm sure you'll make a fine Gryffindor. You've already embraced their house values of nobility and courage by standing up to your friends, and defending your cousin._

 _Just give Harry time. It's understandable that he is cautious, but as long as you continue to demonstrate that you want to be friends, he'll come around. Hopefully you won't have to actually defend him again, but I'm sure you'll find a way to show that you're serious._

 _It sounds like you've made a real friend with Neville. The Longbottoms are an ancient and well respected noble house. Becoming friends with Neville can only help you later in life. Stand by him, and you both can help each other grow to be fine wizards._

 _To be honest, I don't know why we don't use pens. Quills work, and there just hasn't been any need to switch over. Speaking of, your penmanship with a quill is very good for a beginner, tell Neville he makes a fine teacher. Perhaps he can help you with spelling and grammar as well. Your professors will appreciate you taking the time to improve your English skills._

 _I'm glad you've been mostly enjoying your classes. Binns was my history professor too. I don't think I've ever met someone that hasn't fallen asleep at least a few times during his lectures. During class, try just reading the textbook. That way you'll still learn the material, and I think it's less boring too._

 _Dora would complain about Professor Snape as well. I'll tell you what I told her: Take the time to read just a bit ahead, and study up a little before each brewing session. You'll be more confident, know the material better, and he'll have less to criticize you about. If you need extra help you can try asking Dora. I don't know that she'll have much time since this is her NEWT year, but asking can't hurt. If I remember correctly, Harry's mother was brilliant at potions, maybe he's inherited a bit of that. You can try asking your cousin for a little help as well. That could be a good way to bridge the gap between you two. It also sounds like Neville has trouble in potions. You could help him out once you've gotten the hang of it, or if you need the extra help, see if Dora or Harry will help him too._

 _Have fun learning how to fly. I was never too good on a broom myself, but Dora loves to fly. Don't be too discouraged if you find it difficult, it might be the brooms. From what Dora has told me, the school brooms are the same ones that I learned on. They aren't exactly high performance anymore, not that they were top of the line when I went to Hogwarts._

 _It was nice hearing from you, even if you're having a bit of trouble now. Things will get better, and I hope you'll still write me when there's only good things to write about._

 _Ted_

-o-o-

Thursday found two distinct groups of children excitedly standing before Rolanda Hooch. The Flying instructor and quidditch referee swept her eyes across the Gryffindor and Slytherin first years. Her amber eyes bored into each child, letting them know she would not tolerate any tomfoolery. Behind her the school brooms were laid out in two straight rows, and she had each student stand beside a broom.

When Madam Hooch told them to summon the brooms to their hands via the command 'up,' Dudley noted that Harry's broom immediately shot into his hand. Squashing the impulse to feel jealous, he tried it himself.

As Dudley commanded his broom, it actually rose to meet his hand. It didn't rise with the speed of Harry's broom, but it did respond better than half of the other student's. Poor Neville's didn't move at all.

Once everyone had their broom in hand, Hooch showed them how to mount their brooms properly. Then she told them to kick off from the ground, and just hover to get a feel for riding a broom. Dudley, in an attempt to prove he was just as good as Harry, kicked off harder than he should have. Instead of the five feet she asked for, he shot up twenty feet, nearly falling of the broom in surprise. He noticed that he wasn't the only one to put too much into his takeoff, as Neville shot up a good five or six feet higher than he did.

Terrified, Neville lost his grip and slipped off the broom. Dudley saw his friend fall, and without thinking reached out and grabbed Neville's arm as he fell past. The added weight and speed of his friend nearly tore Dudley off of his own broom. In desperation he clamped his other hand onto the broom so tightly his knuckles turned white. Instead of being pulled completely off, Dudley wound up hanging from his broom by one hand, while holding onto Neville with the other.

Madam Hooch's first impulse was to yell at the boys to come down at once. Then she felt fear followed by relief as Neville fell, and was caught by Dudley. Seeing that Dudley had no idea how to bring them down safely, she quickly grabbed a spare broom and mounted her own. She shot up to meet the boys before Dudley could lose his grip in either hand. Within moments she had eased Neville onto the spare broom, and helped Dudley back onto his own. She then grabbed the noses of the boys' brooms, and gently led them down while gripping her own broom with her knees.

With everyone safely on the ground, Madam Hooch continued the lesson. This time she made sure to stress that how hard you kick, or how far you lean, greatly affects the broom's actions. Thankfully the lesson went smoothly thereafter. Afterword, Madam Hooch gathered up the brooms, and headed off to put them away.

-o-o-

The students milled around for a bit chatting about the lesson, when Draco bent over and picked up a clear glass ball from the ground.

"Hey look it's that squib Longbottom's remembrall." He held it up to show the rest of the Slytherins. "Can't very well help him when he can't hold onto now can it?"

Harry stepped up to Draco. "You should give it back to him Draco."

"Really Potter, defending a Gryffindor?" Draco raised his eyebrow. "I'd think after they attacked you, you'd be eager to get some payback or something."

"He's not one of the ones who did anything to me." Harry said as he swiped the remembrall from Draco's hand. "And I thought I told you to shut up about the stupid attack."

Blaise lightly set his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Careful Potter." He whispered. "If you want to yell at Malfoy, wait until the Gryffindors aren't in earshot."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded his agreement with Blaise, then stepped around Draco toward the Gryffindors.

"Oy Potter! That's Neville's give it here!" Ron demanded walking up to Harry with his hand extended to take it from him.

Pulling the remembrall back from Ron's reach, he narrowed his eyes at the boy who lead the ambush against him. "Weasley." He said with venom. "I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw Hagrid. I'll return the ball to Longbottom myself."

Seeing the confrontation forming between Ron and Harry, the other first years gathered around expecting to see a fight break out at any moment. Neville hung back, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of whatever was happening. Dudley tried to make his way forward to see what was going on, but was hesitant to shove aside Lavender and Parvati who were in front of him. Instead he craned his neck to see, and tried to listen over the girls loud whispers and giggling.

"The Weasel probably just wants it for himself." Said Draco with a sneer. "After all they aren't cheap. Maybe he wants to flog it so he can buy a new wand. I'm surprised he hasn't blown himself up with that ratty old thing he waves around."

Ron's face flushed red with anger and embarrassment. "Shut it Malfoy!" He then turned back to Harry. "Give it here, or else."

"Or else what Weasley?" Harry asked mockingly. He noticed a flash of tartan approaching, and grinned. "You'll hex me? How well did that work for you last time? I didn't realize you were so eager to have detention again."

Hearing his cousins voice, Dudley realized that Ron was confronting Harry again. "Sorry girls, I've gotta get through." He apologized and gently pushed Lavender and Parvati apart so he could reach the conflict. The girls squeaked in surprise, but didn't object as Dudley passed.

As Ron was working himself up to draw his wand, he felt a meaty hand clamp down on his shoulder. Looking back and seeing Dudley frowning, Ron defended his position. "C'mon Dudley, he's got Neville's remembrall. I'm just trying to get it back."

Harry's grin faded as he saw his cousin intervene. He made a quick decision. "Now Dudley I can trust." He offered the remembrall to his cousin, and glared at Ron. "Neville dropped this earlier, I just wanted to make sure he got it."

Dudley accepted the magical device, and wondered if there was more to his cousin's declaration of trust than just the ability to give Neville back his belonging. "Thanks Harry." Then he spoke louder. "Don't worry professor, it's just a misunderstanding. C'mon Ron."

"Is that so." McGonagall said sternly. "Mister Potter, Mister Weasley, is there a problem, or is Mister Dursley right about there simply being a misunderstanding?"

Ron jumped, startled by the voice of his head of house. Several of the other first years were equally startled, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike.

"No problem at all professor, just returning some lost property. Mister Weasley here just wanted to make sure it got back to its proper owner." Harry said keeping his eyes locked on Ron.

Not believing what she was told for a moment, but unable to punish what hadn't occurred, she ordered them to disperse. "There is no reason for all of you to be here now that your flying lesson is over with. I'm sure there is homework waiting to be done, I suggest you take care of that if you need something to do." Convinced everyone was leaving, she turned and walked away.

As Dudley handed the remembrall over to a thankful Neville, Harry came up along side his cousin. "Not that I don't appreciate you trying to stop Ron from hexing me, but I had everything under control." He pointed at McGonagall with his thumb. "I saw her coming as soon as she stepped on the grass. It would have been worth getting hexed to see him get another detention."

Dudley frowned. "After, well, the past ten years, I figured you shouldn't have to..."

Harry interrupted his cousin. "Funny, I can't seem to recall the first ten years of my life." He held his wand up to let the light shine on its polished surface. "For some reason, I'm only remembering my life as a wizard." Leaving Dudley with his mouth still hanging open, and Neville thoroughly confused, Harry walked away to where Blaise was waiting for him.

-o-o-

"What was that all about anyway?" Blaise asked. "You tell him to mind his own business? I noticed you had Weasley all lined up to send himself to detention before your cousin stepped in."

"Something like that." Harry agreed. "What's Draco's problem anyway? He seems to want to go out of his way to goad the Gryffindors."

Blaise shrugged. "He does. To be fair, it is something of a Slytherin pastime to trick the Gryffindors into getting themselves into trouble."

"I suppose, but bringing up how poor Weasley is... Isn't that a bit of a low blow? I mean I guess that prat deserves it, but it still doesn't feel right to me." Harry argued, trying to decide where he stood on the matter.

Blaise looked at Harry with an eyebrow raised. "Sometimes you almost act like a Gryffindor. Don't get me wrong, I don't think you're that idiotic. I just think it odd that you would decide to not make use of any advantage you happen to have."

"I just don't like picking on someone for something that isn't their fault." Harry firmly stated. "Taking advantage of Weasley's temper is one thing, the hothead should know better. Poking fun at his second hand wand is just... cheap."

Blaise decided to keep his own counsel. Harry Potter had too much potential as an ally to antagonize this early in their relationship. It would cost him nothing to keep his opinions to himself.

-o-o-

That night, Dudley felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders that he didn't even know was there. Harry had forgiven him, or at least was willing to start over.

While he lay in bed, his thoughts drifted to his roommates. He still hadn't really forgiven Ron, Dean, and Seamus yet, but maybe in time they could all be friends again. He still liked Seamus, the Irish boy was generally fun to be around. Dudley figured he'd let him off the hook soon. He probably wouldn't stay mad at Dean for long either, the other muggleborn boy just seemed to get caught up in Ron's fervor to punish Harry. Ron on the other hand, just couldn't seem to control his emotions. Dudley saw himself in Ron, and didn't like what he saw one bit. Maybe if Ron calmed done like he had, then they could become real good friends. Until then, he would distance himself from the fiery redhead.

Neville was turning out to be the best friend he'd ever had. They weren't really alike in many ways, but that could be why they got along so well. Neville was helping Dudley with his penmanship and English skills, and in return Dudley helped Neville with his confidence issues. Since Neville was a pure-blood, he knew the wizarding world and was helping Dudley fit in. In thanks, Dudley had taken it upon himself to protect Neville from pranks, and his own clumsiness as the broomstick incident showed.

He didn't have much opportunity to hang out with any of the girls, but when he could, he tried to stay friendly with Lavender who had been his first magical friend his own age. With Lavender came Parvati. Ever since the sorting, they were inseparable. He didn't really know her that well, but she seemed to be the Indian version of Lavender.

There was also a bossy brown haired girl who's name eluded him. She started out a bit of a know-it-all, and still tried to show off what she knew, but she was growing increasingly withdrawn as everyone avoided her. Maybe he could try and make friends with her. If nothing else he planned on asking her for help with potions, she did seem to know everything when it came to their classes.

Then his thoughts turned to the other houses. He really didn't have much contact with those outside Gryffindor, heck he only saw his cousin a couple times a weak due to shared classes. Maybe as he got more comfortable with the castle and magic in general, he could try to make friends in the other houses. Well, in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw anyway. He didn't think he would find anyone other than Harry in Slytherin that would be willing to be friendly with a 'mud-blood.'

Every time he thought about or heard that phrase, he thought back to every time he'd called Harry a 'freak.' One more thing he regretted now. He would atone for everything he had done to his cousin. It didn't matter that Harry had agreed to leave the past behind them. This was more for him anyway. Maybe if he paid Harry back in full, he would stop feeling sick every time something reminded him of his past crimes.

-o-o-

Authors Note: To those who celebrate it, I hope you had a happy Halloween. I dressed up as the great Wizzard Rincewind to hand out candy. I'm not surprised that nobody knew the character, but too many kids thought I was Harry Potter or Dumbledore. There were a few trick-or-treaters that I frightened... somehow. Ironic if you're familiar with the Rincewind character.

To Elspeth: In regards to Dudley, it seems that way doesn't it. Instead of Vernon as a role model, he now has Ted Tonks and the Gryffindor house to guide him.

Harry and Draco's relationship will continue to evolve. The direction it goes depends entirely on them.

It's likely that Lucius will mold Draco to his own views of how the requirements should be met. At this point Draco worships his father, and will follow his advice.


	10. Halloween

Authors Note: Things are really starting to deviate from canon, but there are certain things that will still happen. Basically I try to imagine if my changes would prevent an event, if not, then it occurs. You can be fairly certain that the outcome will be different though.

As always, thank you so much for reading, and special thanks to those who review. I love getting feedback. Positive, negative, it's all useful to me as a writer; so please leave a comment, question, or criticism after you read.

-o-o-

Chapter 10

Halloween

-o-o-

"It's not funny Zabini. Put yourself in my place. You wouldn't be laughing if she kept trying to hang all over you." Draco sulked in the privacy of his dorm.

Blaise was smirking while barely restraining open laughter. "There's no point in my trying to empathize. I am my mother's only heir, but there is no concern about line continuing. I'm an only child not because of any difficulties, it's just my mother's husbands all seem to have unfortunate accidents before siblings ever become an issue."

Draco looked at him questioningly. "You're talking awfully casually about your mother murdering all her husbands."

Blaise's face grew stony. "I'll have you know, my mother has done no such thing. When she rejected the Dark Lord's requests for support, he placed a curse on her. Much like the curse on the DADA position, no marriage of hers can last more than a year." He relaxed, and sighed. "We've grown used to it. She's toyed around with the idea of having an indefinite engagement instead of marriage, but by now wizards are too afraid to court her." He closed his eyes to collect himself, and when he opened them, humor was once more playing across his face. "We aren't discussing me here anyway, I believe the topic was how Parkinson tries to follow you around like a lovesick puppy."

Groaning, Draco let Blaise change the topic. "I was expecting whomever my parents chose would treat the arrangement as just that. It's a contract, nothing more." Draco threw his hands up in frustration. "Not only does Parkinson seem to think we're fated to be together, but I have to deal with one of the Greengrasses as well."

"You know Malfoy," Blaise said sobering his expression. "In a few years you might very well be thankful for two witches contractually obliged to be with you. After all I can't see anyone choosing to be your girlfriend any other way." His features broke into a wide grin and he silently chuckled.

Draco narrowed his eyes at the taller boy. "You'd do well to remember that my family is one of the sacred twenty eight. My breeding is far superior to your own. Whether or not I could find myself a wife is not in question. The only reason for these idiotic contracts is so that I can inherit from my grandfather before my blood traitor cousin."

Holding up his hands in surrender, Blaise changed the topic. "Alright, alright, no need to get so worked up. What about Potter?"

The apparent non sequitur confused Draco. "What about Potter? What are you talking about?"

"You seemed to be going out of your way to get friendly with him at the start of term." Blaise pointed out. "You're acting more like yourself now, which as much as it relieves the rest of us, it seems to be making Potter leery."

Draco swore. "You're right. Merlin this is harder than I thought it would be. Father wanted me to feel out Potter, and try and bring him over to our way of thinking. He thinks it will be a coup if we get the Boy-Who-Lived as an ally to the pure-blood cause." Draco paled slightly, and covered his face with his hands, groaning once more. "Do you think it's too late?"

-o-o-

Harry sat in the Slytherin common room, working on an essay for Transfiguration. The view into the black lack was currently obscured by the giant squid peering in curiously. Slytherins quickly grew accustomed to their massive voyeur, as the squid would usually show up at least every other day.

"Are you going to keep that book to yourself forever Potter?" An irate Daphne Greengrass stood over him with her arms crossed. "That's the only copy, and you aren't the only one who needs it."

Surprised at the venom in her voice, Harry stopped writing and looked up at the frowning blonde. "Seriously? I just took it out last night. You can join me if you want, but I still need it for a little while longer." Not understanding why she was so upset over a book, he questioned her mood. "Why the anger? Did I do something to upset you? I don't think we've said more than three words to each other, so it can't be something I said."

Flopping down on the couch next to him, she let out a huff. "Sorry. It's not you, I'm just mad at my parents." She let her head flop back and stared blankly at the stone ceiling. "My loving parents in their infinite wisdom have decided to marry either me or my sister off to Malfoy."

"Oh, right. Yeah that makes sense." Harry shook his head, glad that he wouldn't get stuck in the same situation.

She whipped her head around to face him, her long hair nearly slapping him in the face. "What, you knew? Am I the last to find out?"

Holding his hands up to ward off his agitated classmate, he explained. "Nothing like that, honest. Draco was complaining about it a couple weeks ago. Something about how his parents were negotiating with yours and Pansy's."

Mollified, she apologized. "Sorry again I guess. Apparently negotiations went well. Either Astoria or I have to marry the stuck up git, and Parkinson is going to be his mistress. What's sick is that she's actually happy about it. She's made up some fairy tale about how she and Draco are in love, and the only reason that she has to be the mistress is political. To be fair, the political part is true. My family has more influence than hers, so I get the 'honor' of being his wife."

"Or your sister has to marry him." Harry added, understanding the disturbing situation.

"Yeah. If she wants him she can have him. If she doesn't though..." Daphne shook her head sadly. "I couldn't do that to Astoria. I'll be miserable, but better me than her."

"I don't know what to say, but I feel bad for all of you. There has to be some way out of it." Harry with cautious optimism.

"I don't know, maybe. I haven't seen the actual contract, but there's got to be a termination clause in there somewhere. Maybe I can get my hands on a copy when I go home for the winter hols." She paused, and hardened her features to show haughty indifference. "For now we had best work on that essay. I will not have McGonagall taking points or giving me a detention on top of all this. I would appreciate you keeping our conversation to yourself." Her face softened for a moment as she said, "Thanks for letting me vent."

Harry was amazed at Daphne's transformation from casual and distraught, to formal and emotionless. "Um, you're welcome. Here." He set the book between his partial essay, and Daphne's bag that she had set on the table. "I won't need it too much longer, so hopefully sharing it won't be too awkward."

-o-o-

It was a simple piece of parchment. Few words were written there, but they meant everything. Sirius rolled up the parchment tightly, tied it closed, and placed it reverently into his pocket. He was free.

After weeks of talking with Healer Abbott, it turned out to be learning his godson was a Slytherin that truly helped him reconnect with sanity. Oh sure at first it sent him further 'round the twist, but after cousin Andy had set him straight, it turned into the foundation for his recovery. This was something real that was so unexpected, that he never could have predicted it. He never could have thought it up on his own. It allowed him to be sure he hadn't lost himself in a delusion. Its absurdity also allowed him to let go of the past, and concentrate on the future. The dreams and plans he once had could never happen. Those involved were either dead, missing, or permanent guests of Saint Mungo's. Now he could build new dreams, new goals. His future now centered around Harry, Harry the Slytherin.

Signing out from the hospital, Sirius Flooed to Tonks' Cottage where Ted met him and showed him around the house.

"Now originally we were thinking of cleaning out Dora's room for you, but at this point I think it would take fiendfire to clear that mess." Ted chuckled. "Besides we want to try and get her to stay at least until she completes her auror training."

"You don't have to go through any trouble for me Ted, I can always use the flat I rented after my trial." Sirius said, then paused as what Ted had mentioned registered. "Wait a minute. Little Nymphy is going into auror training?"

Ted laughed, then jokingly waved his finger at Sirius. "Yes, but don't call her that when she can hear, or she's likely to hex you right back to Saint Mungo's. She wants to be called Tonks, Andy insists on Nymphadora, and I compromise with Dora. Call her whatever you think you can get away with, but remember, they only accept the best into the auror program."

Sirius nodded as he tried to think of the best way to ignore Ted's advice and still get away with it. "Anyway, I can just live in the apartment. After all, you're only an apparation away."

"Nonsense, you're the only family Andy has that doesn't look down on her for marrying me." He said while leading Sirius to the back yard. "By the way how long of a lease are you locked into?"

"No lease, it's a place James and I found that only accepts muggle cash, but lets you rent for as little as a day, or as much as a month at a time. No questions asked either, so kind of shady, but it was dead useful for when we would have fun in muggle London." He winked, and nudged Ted with his elbow. "I couldn't exactly bring a muggle girl home for a night now could I?"

"Well, If you're going to be doing that sort of thing, please do use your rented flat." Ted pleaded while shaking his head. "I didn't realize you and James trolled muggle bars for girls."

Laughing, Sirius shook his head. "No, we didn't. Okay, I did on occasion, but that's not important. Lilly got James and I interested in the muggle world, so we'd explore. We'd rent an apartment for a day or two, and use it as sort of a home base."

"Sounds like there are more than a few stories there." Ted said while they walked across the yard. "Well it's not much, but this is what we threw together as a place for you to stay." Ted waved his hand presenting what appeared to be a simple tool shed. "Come on in and tell me what you think." He opened the shed door and stepped inside."

The shed itself was four feet wide by six feet deep, and just tall enough to accommodate a full sized door. The inside was much bigger. Much like a wizarding tent, the inside more closely resembled a house, albeit a small one. There was a small kitchenette with a table to the left as they walked in. To the right was a small bathroom complete with a small shower. Further in was an open area with a couch, coffee table, and a few chairs. Even though from the outside the shed had no windows, there was light shining in from half a dozen windows on the inside. Finally there was a ladder leading to a loft with a large bed, and a standing wardrobe.

"Not bad at all, I have to admit this is much nicer than the flat I was renting before." Sirius said as he looked around.

"Thanks, I did the expansion charms and runework myself. Andy furnished it of course. We did have to get someone to come in for the windows though. I was watching them install the things, but I still can't figure out how they work."

"Well, I guess that settles it." Sirius said slapping Ted on the back. "If you've gone through all this trouble for me I'll just have to take advantage of you generosity. Seriously though, I can't thank you and Andy enough for letting me into your home so that I can be close to Harry."

"To be honest, that's just an added bonus." Ted pointed out. "You've been out of the loop for a decade. Having you here will make it that much easier to catch you up on everything you've missed.

-o-o-

"Excuse me. I noticed you've been pretty much the only Gryffindor to actually be doing well in potions. I was wondering, would you mind giving me some help?" Dudley asked the bushy haired witch who, as usual had sequestered herself in the corner of the common room.

"You're Harry Potter's cousin aren't you? Dudley Dursley right?" She asked looking up from the large textbook she'd been reading.

"Uh, yeah. Is that a problem?" He asked warily. "I'm getting sick of people judging him 'cause he's a Slytherin. If you've got a problem with him, you've got a problem with me." His eyes narrowed and grew hard.

Giving a small squeak, Hermione shrank back and hugged her textbook as if to hide behind it. "No! I mean I just wanted to make sure I had your name right."

Seeing moisture start to form in her eyes, Dudley's shot open, and he blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, sorry. I just... sorry." He held his hands up, trying to keep her from crying. "I guess I'm a little touchy about my cousin right now. Please don't cry."

-o-o-

After his first disastrous encounter with the girl he now knew was Hermione Granger, he managed to talk with her more successfully when he found her in the library later in the month.

"Um hey, Hermione, can we talk?" He asked cautiously. "I really would like help with potions."

Looking up from her astronomy essay on the solar system, Hermione responded with equal caution. "I suppose. I promise I won't bring up your cousin, if you promise to be nice."

Dudley winced. "I'm really sorry about that, thought you were like some of the other Gryffindors. Just because he's Slytherin, a few guys think he's evil."

Hermione saw the sincerity in his eyes. "Apology accepted." She then read the title of the book he was carrying. "You do realize, 'Quidditch Through the Ages' isn't going to help you with potions right?"

He looked down at the book as if he had forgotten it was there. "No, I just got this so I could understand what Ron and Seamus are talking about. They're always talking about quidditch, but the way they explain the game doesn't make any sense to me." He hefted the book for emphasis. "I was hoping this could help me out with that."

"Well, I don't have my potions books with me either. I've got work I want to do today, but I can help you tomorrow. How about after charms?" She asked.

"Sure, anytime before Friday. I'm tired of Snape taking points from me." Dudley said with exasperation.

"Okay, meet me here after charms class, and I'll see what I can do." She thought for a second about what he said. "You know I won't be able to make that big of a difference before we have potions right?"

"Well I tried to talk to you earlier, but that didn't turn out so good. Hopefully it'll make some difference." He said optimistically.

"As long as you don't expect me to do the work for you, I'll help. Whether it makes a difference is up to you I suppose."

-o-o-

For the first time, Harry woke up on Halloween and the holiday had significance to him. Growing up with the Dursleys, it was just another day. He was never allowed to go trick-or-treating, nor was he allowed to hand out candy. Instead he would be locked in his cupboard as soon as he was home from primary school. If Halloween fell on a weekend, he got to spend the whole day trapped under the stairs.

Unfortunately, he still couldn't enjoy the holiday. After Daphne had vented to him, she and her friend Tracy Davis took to hanging out with him in the common room. Apparently he was one of the few people sympathetic to Daphne's betrothal plight. Halloween had come up in conversation, and Tracy had commented how he probably hated the holiday. Upon learning that he had no idea what she was talking about, the two girls explained how that was the night he became famous, and his parents were killed.

It didn't seem fair. The first year he was physically capable of enjoying Halloween, and he couldn't because every decoration now reminded him of his parents that he never knew. The playfully creepy setting just felt more sinister now that he associated it with his parents being murdered.

Getting up, he prepared himself for the day. After getting dressed, he stood in front of a mirror to ensure that his features were emotionless. He wasn't about to let anyone see how depressed the day now made him feel. Satisfied he could fool most everyone, except maybe Dora, he set off toward breakfast.

Sitting between Blaise and Tracy, Harry was surprised when a heavy package dropped in front of him when the post owls came through. Amazed that it hadn't knocked over his goblet, he picked it up and opened the attached letter.

-o-o-

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I don't know if anyone has told you about me, but I am your godfather. My name is Sirius Black, and I was your father's best friend. I know this is strange, learning something like this from ink on a piece of parchment, but I couldn't wait until the winter holidays to speak with you._

 _First, I am so very sorry that I wasn't there for you while you were growing up. I made a terrible mistake and wound up falsely imprisoned for the past ten years. I understand if you want to hate me for my foolishness which led to you being taken to your mother's relatives, but I beg you, please understand. My world was crashing down around me at the time. My best friends, your parents, were just taken from me; I had been shunning another close friend whom I thought a traitor; and my last dear friend turned out to be the traitorous scum that betrayed your parents. I should have thrown all other concerns to the wind, and taken care of you. You should have been my first priority, but I was young, foolish, and hurting. I went after the traitor instead of doing my duty as godfather, and I wound up in Azkaban for my mistake._

 _I'm sorry, I should not dwell on the past. What is done is done, and nothing can change that. All we can do is move forward. I hope you can forgive an old dog, because I want to make up for everything. I want to take up my role as godfather if you'll still have me. While I'm getting my life back in order, I'll be staying with my cousin Andromeda. Yes, that Andromeda. When you come home for the winter Hols, we can meet face to face for the first time since you were only one year old._

 _Like I said before, I understand if you hate me. If that's the case I'll move out and you won't have to see me. I will_ _never_ _give up on you though. Even if you hate me to my dying day, I will work toward atoning for my past sins. To begin with, I've sent you an album. It's more of a scrapbook really. Inside you will find pictures and stories of your parents and their time at Hogwarts. I'm in there along with our friend Remus Lupin too. I hope you don't mind, but I've left out our traitorous former friend. Peter Pettigrew has no place in an album filled with happy memories. My hope is that you can see your parents as I remember them, in happier times. Today of all days is a good day to remember them, not for what happened ten years ago, but for the good people they were._

 _I hope my gift is well received, and I want you to remember something above all else. Your parents loved you with every fiber of their being, and I love you too._

 _Sirius_

-o-o-

Before his emotionless facade could crack, Harry folded up the letter and grabbed the package. He stood and swiftly walked out of the great hall, leaving behind his thoroughly confused friends.

After walking out of sight, he ducked into an unused classroom. There were several overturned desks off to one side, and a large ornate mirror leaning against the far wall. Ignoring the mirror he set one of the desks upright, sat down, and with shaking hands unwrapped the package. Inside was a large but simple leather bound book.

Opening the book revealed picture after picture of what could have only been his parents. Everyone was right, he really did look just like his father. His mother's striking green eyes mirrored his own as they seemed to stare at one another. He flipped through the entire album watching his parents grow from first years like himself to become head boy and girl just like Dora had said. He also saw photos of his godfather and Remus. There were several pictures labeled 'The Marauders' which clearly had someone covered over, erased, or in a few cases outright torn out of the photo. Harry guessed the redacted person must have been Peter Pettigrew.

Most of the photos were of the wizarding variety, so they moved about and really helped Harry feel like he almost was there. Some of the older pictures of his mother were muggle stills, but he cherished them just as much. Almost better than the pictures were the anecdotes that Sirius had written throughout the album. Some explained what was happening in the photos, and some were just general tales of their lives as Hogwarts students.

By the time he had to go to class, Harry had tears freely flowing down his face. He reverently repackaged the album, and set it in his book bag. Then he left to find a bathroom to clean himself up, and become presentable enough for class. He gave a moments consideration to using the mirror in the room, but decided since he needed to wash his face anyway, he would just head to a bathroom.

-o-o-

Dudley woke up excited. At first he was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to go out and collect bags of candy, but he learned that there was going to be a Halloween feast later on. On his way down to breakfast he could smell all manner of delicious treats. Apparently he wouldn't have to wait for the feast to enjoy the holiday food.

Charms class that day was exciting for everyone. This was the day they would learn how to levitate objects, and make them fly around. The tiny Professor Flitwick, no bigger than they were, had them attempting to levitate a large feather while he supervised from atop his tall stool in the center of the room.

Today he was paired with Parvati. Neither one of them were having much success.

"Wing-ar-di-um Lev-i-o-sa." Dudley said while waving his wand at the feather.

Parvati watched as he succeeded in knocking the feather off of the table when his wand clipped it. "C'mon Dudley, we've been practicing the wand movement all week, or at least we were supposed to." She demonstrated with a far more fluid flick and swish movement.

He placed the feather back in front of them. "Sorry, I forgot. Flitwick makes it look so easy."

An explosion drew their attention to the other side of the room, where Seamus had soot covering his face. His partner Dean Thomas, was busy tamping down their now flaming feather with the sleeve of his outer robe.

"I'll be more careful." Dudley quickly said as Dean asked the professor for another feather. "This magic stuff is a lot more dangerous than I thought."

Parvati gave him an odd look. "It's not that dangerous. Nothing we're working on this year can hurt us too badly. Madam Pomphrey can fix anything easy." She leaned over to get a better view of Dean as he wiped the soot off of his now charred robes. "On second thought, if you catch my robes on fire I'll hex you so bad she'll have to send you to Saint Mungo's."

Dudley froze mid swish. "Um you're not serious right? I mean if it happens on accident."

"I take fashion very seriously." She said glaring at him pointedly.

"Alright, how about you try for a while." Dudley took back what he thought about Parvati being an Indian Lavender. They both shared all the same interests, but Parvati was much more intense, and if he was being honest with himself, scary.

"Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa." Hermione's crisp and clear voice seemed to carry throughout the classroom. Everyone stopped their own attempts to see her feather floating high above her head.

Professor Flitwick, ever the excited educator, clapped for her achievement and called for everyone to observe her success. He also awarded her points for being the first to levitate her feather.

Nobody else managed to properly cast the charm by the end of class, but Dudley and Parvati working together managed to each get the feather to stand up on end before flopping back down to the desk.

-o-o-

After class Dudley made sure he had his potions textbooks, and his notes. He made his way to the library, and waited at the table where he had talked to Hermione the day before.

He was awoken by Madam Pince. "This is a library. You are here to read, not sleep. It's lunch time anyway. Go on, get out."

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, Dudley mumbled an apology and stumbled out of the library. It then dawned on him that Hermione never showed up. Of all the people to set up a meeting and then not show, he figured her to be pretty low on the list. Then again, he didn't really know her at all.

-Rumble- His stomach made its displeasure known, and shaking his head, Dudley headed to the great hall for lunch. Looks like he'd have to get help from Harry or Dora after all. He certainly wasn't having much luck trying to learn by himself, and none of the Gryffindor boys were much help either. Asking Snape directly was of course, not even an option.

-o-o-

That night, the great hall was completely decked out with over the top Halloween decorations. Floating jack-o-lanterns lit the room, with flickering shadows adding to the atmosphere. Actual bats flitted around the ceiling, dipping low on occasion to dart around the floating lanterns. There were massive cobwebs draped across the walls, and the suits of armor were replaced with skeletons that would cheerfully wave at all who passed by. It seemed that every ghost in the castle had been recruited to float around and add to the effect. Peeves for some reason, was noticeably absent.

At the Slytherin table, Daphne, Tracy, and Blaise were worried about Harry. He ate swiftly, as soon as the food appeared, and then begged off to return to the dorm. Draco was less concerned about Harry, and more worried that Harry had been avoiding him since mid September. Both Crabbe and Goyle were oblivious, and their attention was on the feast before them. Draco weighed his options, and decided to confront Harry after the feast. He had to get back in Potter's good graces. His father would not be pleased with failure.

At the Gryffindor table, Dudley looked up and down searching for the bushy mane belonging to Hermione. Not seeing her, he sat down between Lavender and some third year he didn't recognize.

"Hey, have you seen Hermione at all? She was supposed to help me with potions this morning, but she never showed." He asked Lavender before she could get too engrossed in a conversation with Parvati.

Parvati leaned around Lavender to answer his question. "She's been crying in the girls bathroom all day."

"We think Ron Weasley said or did something that really upset her after charms this morning." Lavender added.

While Dudley was pondering that, Professor Quirrell ran into the great hall, and stopped before the staff table. Gasping for breath, he cried out that there was a troll in the dungeons. Fainting immediately afterward, he crumpled to the floor with a soft thud.

The hall exploded with screams, shouts, and activity as students panicked. Dumbledore calmly raised his wand and sent out a series of booming spark showers. Having everyone's attention, he stood, and addressed the room.

"Calm yourselves. While dangerous, a troll is no match for your professors." His first impulse was to send everyone back to their common rooms, but he quickly rethought that decision, and made another. "Everyone please remain seated. No one is to leave the great hall. Prefects get a head count and make certain all are accounted for."

While the students all sat back down, and the prefects counted heads, Dumbledore turned to his staff. "Severus, I trust you and I are more than suitable to subdue a troll. Come with me, and we will find it before anyone gets hurt. The rest of you remain here to protect the students. Minerva, find out if any are missing from the hall and take appropriate action. Poppy, please see to Quirinus." He swept his gaze across the staff table. "Any questions? No? Good, come Severus."

Dumbledore and Snape quickly left the great hall, and headed the direction from which Quirrell entered.

Poppy Pomfrey knelt down, and immediately realized Quirrell was faking his unconsciousness. She shook her head at his cowardice. "And you thought you could teach defense. Should have stuck with muggle studies if you ask me." She said under her breath.

A seventh year prefect from each house approached McGonagall. Both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw reported all children present and accounted for. Slytherin and Gryffindor on the other hand reported a total of three missing students. Hermione Granger, Dudley Dursley, and Harry Potter.

Of course it had to be those two, but Miss Granger's absence surprised the deputy headmistress. "Do you have any idea where they are?" She asked the two prefects.

"Potter's friends say he headed to his dorm almost as soon as the feast started. They don't know why." The Slytherin said.

Her Gryffindor answered immediately after his Slytherin counterpart. "Her friends say that Miss Granger has been crying in the charms corridor loo. They also think that Mister Dursley left to find her as soon as Professor Quirrell announced the troll.

Wasting no time, McGonagall turned to the remaining staff. "Filius, take Aurora and find Miss Granger and Mister Dursley. Pomona, take Septima and make sure that Mister Potter is safe in his dorm." Raising her voice she addressed the rest of the staff. "All other professors and staff, cover the entrances to the great hall, and announce at once if you see the troll. If it shows up subdue it immediately. We must protect the students at all costs."

Finally, McGonagall turned to face the frightened students. " I know it is difficult, but please continue to enjoy the feast. We have everything well in hand, and the situation will be dealt with shortly. Prefects, you will have to eat later. Should the worst occur you are responsible for evacuating your houses. Take this time to plan an escape route for each possible direction the troll may come from. This of course is merely an exercise in caution, we are more than capable of handling a single troll."

-o-o-

Dudley tore down the hall, He knew he had to warn Hermione. He figure that he'd find her, and then together they would run back to the great hall. A simple plan, but really, what else did he need?

He rounded the corner, and entered the charms corridor just in time to see a hulking monster cram itself through one of the doors. Fear gripping him, he rapidly searched for the girls loo. A scream rang out from the room the troll had entered. Of course, it had to be that one. Heart pounding in his chest, he ran to the door, flung it open, and darted inside without taking time to plan.

Entering the bathroom at a run, he saw only the most important things. The troll was facing away from him, and swinging a massive club. Hermione was huddled in the far corner, shaking with fear. Not giving himself time to think, or second guess himself, Dudley ran as fast as he could past the troll as the club swung wide.

-o-o-

Professor Flitwick ran faster than his little legs should have been able to manage. Professor Sinistra taking long strides could barely keep the charms master in view. Both heard a scream coming from up ahead, and Sinistra's eye's widened in disbelief as Flitwick slashed his wand downward. The tiny professor's feet glowed for a moment, and he shot forward completely outpacing the astronomy professor.

Not taking the time to slow down to take the corner into the charms corridor, Flitwick ran up and along the wall to make the corner at top speed.

-o-o-

Chunks of porcelain and wood struck Dudley, but he didn't slow. He didn't even bother trying to talk to Hermione. Instead, he skidded to a stop, and grabbed the trembling girl. Throwing her over his shoulder, he dodged to the side just in time to avoid the trolls club as it slammed into the ground where he would have been.

He jumped forward, running faster than he thought he could, and reached to yank the door that had swing shut open once more. Then the world went black.

-o-o-

Authors Note: Please don't crucify me. I had to do it. The story wouldn't let me finish the scene this chapter. I promise I will get the next chapter out as soon as I can.

To Dalilia reviewing chapter 9: I'm glad you like my story! As for Ron, Harry, and Hermione, because Harry is a Slytherin, the golden trio just isn't going to happen. At this point Ron would never even consider being friends with a 'slimy snake.' I hope you liked the bit of Hermione in this chapter, She should be showing up more often now.

I put out chapters as soon as I finish them, so assuming the real world doesn't disrupt things, they should continue to come out at a fairly decent pace.


	11. Halloween aftermath

Authors Note: Thoughts and prayers go out to those injured and killed in Paris Friday night, as well as to the families of the victims. The entire civilized world weeps at this senseless slaughter of innocents.

I find it difficult to write in the wake of such tragedy. Thus the shorter chapter, I just quickly edited what I had, and posted it. I'll likely take some time to do more important things for a little while, like play with my daughter. I won't take too long of a break, just don't be surprised if it takes longer than a week or two for an update.

-o-o-

Chapter 11

Halloween aftermath.

-o-o-

Dudley woke up with a pounding headache, to see Madam Pomfrey standing over him. She was pointing her wand at him, and had a goblet in her other hand. Before he could say anything, she shoved the goblet into his hands and ordered him to drink while she checked her other patient. Throwing back the vile tasting potion, his headache vanished, and he shifted on the bed to look around.

Hermione was laying on the bed next to his own, and Pomfrey was waving her wand over her still form. Off to the side Professors Flitwick and Sinistra were watching with concern clear in their expressions.

Madam Pompfrey sighed with relief, and cast several spells on Hermione before reviving her and reaching for a goblet full of the same potion she had given Dudley.

Upon waking, Hermione shot upright and started screaming. Nearly knocking over the goblet in surprise, Pomfrey quickly gripped Hermione by both shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. "Miss Granger, calm down. You're safe now. You're in the infirmary, and everything is alright now." She said gently but forcefully. The young girl's scream faded, and her head whipped around to take in her surroundings.

Grabbing a phial, the healer opened it, and held it up. "Open up dear, this will help calm you down." As soon as Hermione's lips parted, Pomfrey poured the calming draught down her throat. "There, now please drink all of this." She handed Hermione the goblet from before. "It will soothe your headache, and prevent the worst effects of a concussion."

Standing up, Pomfrey spoke to both children. "You both will likely experience dizziness for a time. I want you to spend the night here. If you need the loo let me know, but otherwise you are to remain in your beds."

"What happened?" Hermione asked after downing her potion and grimacing. "The last thing I remember is Dudley grabbing me while a t-troll was trying to kill us both."

"I'm afraid that's my fault Miss Granger." Professor Flitwick said as he hopped up onto a chair to be at eye level with Hermione and Dudley.

-o-o-

Earlier that day:

Hearing a thunderous crash from within the girls bathroom, Flitwick wasted no time. He cast a banishing charm at the door, and ran inside. Leaping to avoid the trolls club, the former dueling champion cast a series of spells in rapid succession. Bolts of various colors struck the troll in the chest, shoulders, and head, sending it spinning to the ground with a resounding crash.

Flitwick frantically looked around. Nearly panicking because he couldn't see the children, he turned around. There he saw Dudley and Hermione laying in a heap, off to the side, behind the slowly closing door.

-o-o-

"It seems my rather forceful entry into the bathroom blew the door into the two of you as you attempted to escape." Flitwick said while wringing his hands. "We have no way of knowing for sure, but you may very well have gotten away unharmed if not for my intervention. Speculation aside, I am relieved that you both have suffered no lasting damage.

As Pomfrey cleaned and put away the goblets and empty potion phial, she informed them of what they had suffered. "Mister Dursley, you got away with nothing more than a rather large knot on your head where the door struck you. Miss Granger on the other hand, in addition to your own bump on the head where you hit the wall, you landed poorly and broke your arm in two places."

The healer saw Hermione look down at her arms, both of them whole, and without pain. "Broken bones are quite simple to fix, your head injuries are what concerned me the most. I see no cause for further concern, but that is why you both need to stay the night."

-o-o-

Professors Sprout and Vector, neither one being athletic, were out of breath by the time they reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Wheezing, Sprout leaned against the wall. "Septima, there's no way the troll managed to get in there. Why don't you go on ahead and find Mister Potter. I'll wait here, and catch my breath, while keeping an eye out for the beast. That way one of us will be fresh if we run into trouble while returning to the great hall."

Agreeing even as she bypassed the door's security with her staff password, Vector disappeared into the Slytherin common room. Harry was nowhere in sight, so she made her way toward the first year boys' dorm. "Mister Potter! Are you here!" She called out, eager to confirm the boy's safety.

Harry sat on his bed with the curtains closed. He casually flipped through the album that Sirius had given him, memorizing what his parents looked like. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice the professor calling his name.

Vector stepped into the dorm room, and saw the silhouette of a child behind one of the four poster's green curtains. "Mister Potter! Are you alright?" She called out again. The silhouette jumped slightly, and she heard a book slam shut, then she heard the rustle of the boys robes as he called out for her to wait a moment.

Startled out of his trance, Harry reflexively shut the album, and wrapped it up in a spare set of robes. He would put it away better later on, for now the robes would do to keep it safe. It was personal, and he wanted it to remain private. "Just a second, I'll be right out." He called out. Throwing his pillow on top of the robes, he opened the curtain and stood up.

Seeing Harry come out from behind the curtain, she noticed that he looked as if he was hiding something. She decided what an eleven year old boy does in the privacy of his dorm was none of her concern. "Come now Mister Potter, there is something of an emergency. A troll has been sighted in the castle. Professor Sprout and I will escort you back to the great hall. You can finish whatever you were doing some other time."

"I don't think it's something I'll ever be finished with actually, but... did you say a troll?" Harry asked nervously. He'd been reading casually about various magical creatures native to Scotland, and trolls were high on the list of ones he wouldn't want to meet.

A bit taken aback by his casual comments about his... activity, she took a moment to say, "Yes Mister Potter. Don't worry, we'll keep you safe."

-o-o-

Dumbledore and Snape had split up to cover more of the dungeons. Confident that his professors would keep the students safe, Dumbledore was taking the time to seal the breach where the troll obviously had gotten in. More troubling than the twisted metal and broken stone, was the almost invisible series of runes that allowed the troll to pass through the castle wards without alerting him.

He had suspected that Quirinus was now working for Voldemort. This seemed to give weight to that theory. His DADA professor might have let the troll in to cover for an attempt at the stone he had helped set up protection for. This would not do. He had moved his trap to prevent danger to the students, but if Voldemort's minion did not know that it had been moved, then the danger still remained.

Unfortunately neither he nor Severus had managed to find proof that Quirinus was working for Voldemort. Without that, he couldn't even fire the man. He would have to inform all of the professors of the stone's new location, subtly so as not to alert the stuttering professor to his suspicions.

As Dumbledore removed the runes that were interfering with the wards, a ghostly silver cat leaped in front of him and sat on its haunches. "Albus, the troll has been dealt with. There are two of my Gryffindors recovering in the infirmary. All students are accounted for, with the exception of Mister Potter who should be safe in the Slytherin dormitories. Pomona and Septima are checking on him now." The cat spoke with Minerva's voice. Once its message finished, it dissipated into thin air.

Cursing the fact that two students had been harmed, Dumbledore finished sealing the breach with an enormously powerful repair charm. He then sent his own ghostly phoenix patronus to inform Severus, while he headed up to the infirmary.

-o-o-

There was no help for it, ever since he'd been ousted from the Wizengamot, the Hogwarts board of governors had been keeping a close eye on him. He could not sweep this incident under the rug, even though there were no serious injuries.

In order to ensure the safety of the school, he had the students all escorted back to their dormitories while most of the staff along with the ghosts, swept the castle top to bottom. If there were any other dangerous creatures, they would be found.

Dumbledore decided that he now had to inform the parents of the injured children. He would see to it personally, first thing in the morning. Meanwhile he had given Nymphadora Tonks and Harry Potter special permission to spend the night in the infirmary to keep Mister Dursley company.

-o-o-

"Okay first off, thank Merlin you're both okay. I'm so glad you weren't crazy enough to try and fight a full grown troll." Dora said as she sat down at the foot of Hermione's bed. "However, what in the world possessed you to run into a room with a troll in the first place?"

Before Dudley could speak, Hermione came to his defense. "Please, don't be mad at him. If he hadn't come in when he did, I'd be dead." Her words were soft, and there were unshed tears in her eyes. "I just froze. I was so scared, and then he came out of nowhere and saved me." Tears slowly fell as she realized just how close to death she'd been.

Both Dudley and Harry, who was sitting at the foot of his cousin's bed, froze. Neither one had any idea what to do with a crying girl. Dora stood up, walked behind Hermione, and wrapped her arms around the tearful child. "Shh. It's okay now. You're both safe, and right now that's all that matters."

Even though it was a stranger's hug, the warmth she felt through it allowed Hermione to succumb once more to the effects of the calming draught. Exhausted physically and emotionally, sleep claimed her almost immediately.

Carefully, Dora lowered Hermione to her pillow, and returned to her chair. "Well, again, I'm thankful that everyone is alright. Unfortunately, once mum gets here I'm dead. I'm supposed to be watching over you guys, and I find out that both of you are missing when there's a troll loose in the castle." She closed her eyes, and ran her fingers through her hair, which lengthened to accommodate the soothing motion. "Seriously, mum is going to kill me. Why were both of you not in the great hall?"

Dudley answered first. "I just found out Hermione was, uh, crying in the girls' loo. When Quirrell came running in yelling about the troll, I had to go find her. Honest, I was gonna grab her and run right back to the great hall. I didn't know the troll was gonna be there."

Harry, embarrassed, looked down at his shoes. "I just wanted to be alone to look at the present my godfather sent me. I must have went back to my dorm right before the whole troll thing. I had no idea."

Present from cousin Sirius? That could wait. Maybe Harry would tell her later. Dora slumped back in her chair and sighed. "If it weren't for the emergency, going back to your room for privacy would have been no big deal. Don't worry, I don't think either of you are going to be in trouble," She leveled her gaze, and pointed at Dudley. "But, just because you're a Gryffindor doesn't mean you should go running head first into danger. You should have told a professor. The few seconds it would have taken wouldn't have endangered Hermione any more, and any one of the professors would have been able to take on the troll safely."

"Sorry, Next time I'll tell a teacher." Dudley said, a little shamefaced.

"Good. Let's just hope there won't even be a next time, and let's also hope that mum doesn't string us both up for you throwing yourself into harms way. Professor Dumbledore said that he'd contact her in the morning, so she'll probably be stopping by to make sure you're okay."

She noticed both boys yawn, while she had to stifle her own. "Alright, it's late. We should all get some sleep. G'night you two." She said as she got up to lie down in an empty bed.

-o-o-

Andromeda and Ted flooed into Hogsmead to find Dumbledore waiting for them, along with two muggles who introduced themselves as Dan and Emma Granger. After introductions, the carriage ride to the castle was quiet and tense. Despite Dumbledore's assurance that the children were fine, both sets of parents were worried.

Walking into the infirmary, the four concerned parents were witness to three children laughing hysterically. The reason for their laughter was Dora messing around with her metamorphic abilities. Currently she had herself looking like the former muggle prime minister Margaret Thatcher, except the 'Iron Lady' never had a rainbow colored afro.

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda admonished her daughter. "You should have more respect for such an important world leader, muggle or not."

The Grangers were confused until the minister lookalike shifted into a teenage girl with short bubblegum pink hair. Then they were even more confused. Seeing the looks on their faces, Ted quickly explained his daughter's gift while his wife gave her a dressing down.

After seeing for themselves that Dudley and Hermione were fine, The Tonks' and the Grangers went with Dumbledore and Pomfrey into the matron's office to discuss the incident.

Pomfrey explained the extent of the children's injuries. She made sure to stress that the injuries themselves were minor by wizarding standards. Broken bones and minor concussions, while significant in the muggle world, were really quite simple to fix with the aid of magic.

Dumbledore then took control of the conversation. He explained how the incident was certainly an isolated one, and steps were being taken to beef up the castle's already extensive security. He then went on to detail how he and his staff quickly and effectively managed the crises. From the prefects' prompt and thorough survey of where each student was located, to his charms master's lightning fast run to rescue Dudley and Hermione.

While nervous about the safety of the children, both the Grangers and the Tonks' were convinced that Dumbledore had everything well in hand. They still wanted to take the time to discuss the ordeal with the children themselves of course.

-o-o-

While parents and children were talking things over, Dumbledore called a staff meeting in the small room behind the staff table in the great hall.

Entrusting the prefects to oversee breakfast, Dumbledore started as soon as everyone was present. "Now then, I have reason to believe that the troll last night was meant to be a diversion. In the chaos an attempt was made to steal you-know-what." After several startled gasps, he continued. "Fortunately, I had already moved the stone, defenses and all, to a hidden location deep within the forbidden forest. I feel its security is more than adequate. However, that the would be thief was able to penetrate the school is worrisome. Are there any ideas on how to keep the thief out of the castle?"

"Albus, are you saying the thief made their way into the castle without being detected, even by you?" McGonagall asked, obviously worried.

"Unfortunately yes." He responded solemnly. "I checked the third floor corridor. It is clear that someone used quite a bit of magic in an attempt to ferret out the location of the stone. Somehow, they knew where we had originally hid it. I find it likely that they imagined I kept it hidden there without protection as a ruse." Dumbledore looked around, his eyes twinkling. "I believe my original folly was to inform each of you of the stone's presence. It's new location is now known only by myself, Rubeus, and Severus. It is not that I do not trust the rest of you, merely the fewer who know, the fewer can let slip accidentally."

-o-o-

"So, running strait into danger to rescue the fair maiden. I know I said you'd make a fine Gryffindor, but you don't have to take the brave hero thing quite so literally." Ted started off with a bit of humor as he sat on the end of Dudley's bed. "Tell me, did you get a kiss for your daring rescue?"

Not quite blushing, but clearly embarrassed, Dudley quickly denied any such thing. "It's not like that at all, I just was trying to warn her about the troll. Not my fault the stupid thing got there before me. I wasn't trying to be a hero or nothing. I don't know, I didn't really even think about it. I just ran in and tried to pull her out and get away as fast as possible. It's not like I tried to fight the troll or anything."

Ted grew serious. "Good, if you had tried to fight it you'd be dead. Next time take a moment to think of the right thing to do. Sometimes we're left with no choice, but most of the time there is a better way. You should have gotten a teacher to go, instead of running off by yourself."

Dudley hung his head in shame. For some reason even though Dora had told him the same thing, coming from Ted the reprimand hurt a lot more. "Yeah, Dora said that too. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

-o-o-

"At first your godfather Sirius wanted to come, but he begged off at the last moment. He wants to be sure that you would want to see him." Andromeda said, sitting across from Harry. They had moved off to a corner of the infirmary so that everyone could have some privacy. "Since you weren't actually involved with the troll incident, I thought we could just talk about him for a minute. Are you alright with him staying with us? I know he told you he would be, in his letter to you."

He answered cautiously, with a question of his own. "I think so. I mean, you wouldn't let him in the house if he actually did any of those things that he got sent to jail for right? He did seem awful nervous in his letter, should I be more worried about him?"

Andromeda put him at ease with her warm smile. "Sirius is my cousin, and I know him quite well. I was devastated when he was arrested ten years ago. I couldn't believe that he would do any of the terrible things that they accused him of. Had I known he never received a trial, I would have done everything I could to get him out of Azkaban. I am absolutely certain that he is innocent." She sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, Azkaban is a horrifying place, and it effects everyone who gets sent there. You should keep this information to yourself, but Sirius is seeing a mind healer just as you are. He is still recovering from that awful place. He used to be very confident, but he is terrified that you will reject him." She then smiled brighter. "Of course he will never admit that."

"So you think I should give him a chance? I think I want to, I mean the album he sent me is the best gift I've ever gotten. Well, the only gift I've ever gotten." He trailed off, not quite meaning to let that slip. Andy, much like Dora, cut through his defenses and caused him to open up more than he would otherwise.

Filing away that disturbing revelation, she tactfully ignored it. "Yes, I believe you would both be good for each other. When you come home for winter break, you can form your own opinion of Sirius."

-o-o-

"Your headmaster seems to be on top of everything, and it looks like this sort of thing won't happen again, but your mother and I can't help but think about pulling you out of this school. Especially since your letters seem to tell us you aren't happy here." Dan said gently to his daughter. They had moved several beds away from Dudley so they could have privacy.

Hermione glanced over to where Dudley was talking to whom she thought might be his dad, except he was wearing robes, and she could have sworn he was muggleborn like her. Looking back at her parents, she responded quietly. "It's not that bad anymore. I think I want to stay. I'm doing well in my classes, and I would hate to have to start all over somewhere new. This was just a freak accident, so we shouldn't let it affect our judgment right?"

Emma noticed the faintest of blushes on her daughter's cheeks when she looked over at the boy who'd been injured trying to rescue her. "I thought you were crying all day in the bathroom when this while incident occurred. Now you think you want to stay?"

This question made Hermione blush fully. "I was just overreacting... I'm not used to being away from home for so long. I think everything will get better, and I really want to stay. Please?"

Dan and Emma looked at each other. After a moment, Dan nodded to his wife, prompting her to speak for them both. "If you're sure sweetheart. How about we leave you here for now, and we can talk more about this when you come home for Christmas."

Wrapping her parents in an enthusiastic hug, she thanked them. "Thank you, thank you. I promise I'll keep writing, to let you know how I'm doing."

-o-o-

After carefully casting a privacy charm of his own design, Snape confronted Dumbledore as soon as they were alone. "What exactly do you think you are doing? You and I both know that Quirrell is working for the Dark Lord. You may as well have handed him a map and instructions on how to steal the blasted thing. Outside of the castle it will be that much harder to protect it, and we cannot allow the Dark Lord to gain control of such a powerful artifact."

"My dear boy, I must ask that you trust me. For the safety of the children it cannot be hidden here." Dumbledore said with a knowing smile, and his eyes twinkling merrily. "I have full confidence that it is perfectly safe."

Snape looked as if he had swallowed a lemon. He turned and left, not trusting himself to respond without losing his temper. Dumbledore must be losing it, his was the final trap set before Dumbledore placed the stone, and Snape knew that none of the traps were sufficient to stop a fourth year, let alone a fully trained wizard. He was regretting leaving potions that actually matched the logic problem portion of his trap, and not a complete set of various poisons like he originally wanted. It was too late now, Dumbledore clearly didn't appreciate the danger. He would have to... discourage Quirrell himself.

-o-o-

Authors Note: I can't help myself, for some reason playing with Tonks' metamorphmagus powers is just so much fun.

I have no idea who originally came up with names for the Grangers, but after reading so many stories with them as Dan and Emma, any other names just sound weird to me.

To RAZ reviewing chapter 8: Whoops! I made a mistake, and thank you for catching it. I've gone back and changed it, because I did mean Theodore.

To NatNicole reviewing chapters 9 and 10: Thank you for your reviews. I'm happy you like my story.

Most of the canon Slytherins have little to no character development, or they are just mini Death Eaters. I want to show how Slytherin does not equal evil. There still are Jr. Death Eaters, but it's not the entire house.


	12. Quidditch, beasts, and pillars of fire

Authors Note: I got back to writing sooner than I thought I would, so here's another chapter. Not too much to say here, other than thank you for reading. Reviews of any kind, as usual, are more than welcome.

Edit: Fixed a couple typos.

-o-o-

Chapter 12

Quidditch, mythical beasts, and pillars of fire.

-o-o-

Nearly everyone turned out to watch the first quidditch match of the year, which traditionally was Gryffindor verses Slytherin. This year was no different. Eager to see what the game looked like, both Dudley and Harry were in the stands. Dudley sat with Neville and Hermione, the later of which wasn't quite sure how the other two had talked her into joining them. Hermione didn't understand sports in general, and really didn't see the draw of such a dangerous sounding sport as quidditch. Harry sat a few rows down with Blaise and Draco. Crabbe and Goyle were there as well, but considering how they rarely said much, they tended to be ignored.

The game was being announced by third year Gryffindor Lee Jordan, who was anything but impartial. Throughout the match, Professor McGonagall had to repeatedly chastise him for his biased color commentary.

Gryffindor started strong, with third year chasers Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet working together as if they shared one mind. Second year Katie Bell was surprisingly talented as well, and shortly after the start of the game, Gryffindor led with a score of 30 to 00. Slytherin's rookie third year keeper Miles Bletchley was having difficulty with the three lionesses.

Slytherin's chasers, led by sixth year captain Marcus Flint, were talented as well, but third years Adrian Pucey and Graham Montague were no match for Gryffindors keeper. Fifth year captain Oliver Wood was a veteran keeper, and only Flint was able to push him at all.

Frustrated with Wood's skill, Flint ordered fourth year beaters Peregrin Derrick and Lucian Bole to take out the Gryffindor keeper. Gryffindor's third year beaters Fred and George Weasley managed to easily defend their captain, until Flint and his chasers rocketed by. The Slytherin chasers flew as close as possible to the Weasleys, which caused them to lose control of the bludgers long enough for Bole to get a clean shot on Wood. Trying to track the Slytherin chasers and the quaffle, Wood missed the bludger sailing toward his unguarded ribs. The force of the hit knocked him into one of the goal posts, and Gryffindor's keeper spiraled to the ground. Woods landing was rough enough that his broom got away from him. By the time he managed to return to the hoops, Slytherin had taken the lead 70 to 30.

With Gryffindor's keeper injured, scoring evened out. Flint further tilted the odds in Slytherin's favor by surreptitiously fouling the Gryffindor chasers. The Weasley twins took to targeting Slytherin's cheating captain. Flint being the oldest player in the air, was also the most experienced. He was able to not only dodge the bludgers sent his way, but managed to trick the Weasleys into hitting their own chaser. Angelina only took a glancing blow to her arm, but since it was her dominant side, it affected her scoring. Soon Slytherin increased its lead 170 to 80.

It was looking like Gryffindor's only chance was to catch the snitch, and do so soon. Second year Cormac McLaggen, Gryffindor's rookie seeker, suddenly dove toward a glint of gold. Slytherin's fifth year seeker Terence Higgs was far out of position. In a futile effort he raced toward the snitch from the other end of the pitch.

The crowd held its breath as McLaggen slowly caught up to the golden snitch, both of them streaking toward the ground. The snitch then angled off, and flew parallel to the turf. McLaggen had been concentrating wholly on the snitch, and didn't realize how close he was flying to the ground. Instead of dipping beneath the snitch and grabbing it like he planned, his feet dug into the dirt and abruptly slowed him down. Barely able to stay on his broom, McLaggen pulled up in time to see Higgs' hand close around the snitch.

The green section of the stands erupted with cheers as Lee Jordan reluctantly announced Slytherin's victory 320 to 80, a crushing defeat for Gryffindor.

-o-o-

While disappointed in the matches outcome, Dudley was excited over how fun the game itself looked. The quidditch books he'd slogged through didn't do the game justice. It was faster, more thrilling, and captured his attention so much more in person.

"I'm definitely trying out next year. That was amazing." Dudley said, barely restraining his enthusiasm.

Hermione looked at him like he'd grown an extra head. "That was barbaric. You actually want to risk your life flying around like that?"

"Actually, it's really rare for people to die in quidditch. It hasn't happened in ages." Neville interjected. "Don't get me wrong, I think you're crazy myself. Flying is bad enough, but with everything else going on, you have to be a little nuts to play."

"You guys are just saying that because you don't like flying. I'll bet you anything that my cousin is thinking the same thing right now." Dudley said with confidence as the trio worked their way down through the crowd.

-o-o-

Harry had a wild look in his eye. He was in love. He'd already learned how much he enjoyed flying during Hooch's lessons, but the hawk-eyed witch wouldn't let any of the first years really cut loose and fly fast. As soon as the match had started, Harry was picturing himself in the air pushing his broom to its limits, the wind whipping through his hair, and nothing holding him back.

"It's a crime that first years aren't allowed to play. Don't get me wrong, Higgs isn't bad; but if that was me, I'd have caught the snitch in half the time it took him, no problem." Draco said arrogantly, the Slytherin boys decided to wait until the crowd thinned before making their way back to the castle. "Next year I'll make seeker for sure."

"You're awfully sure of yourself Malfoy." Blaise said as he motioned toward Harry. "Potter here flies pretty good as well, and he's practically been drooling while watching the game. I'll bet he could give you a run for your money. Isn't that right Potter? Potter?" Blaise snapped his fingers in Harry's face.

"Ahh! What?" Harry jumped in his seat.

"Ha, Potter doesn't have what it takes to be a seeker. Daydream like that, and the snitch could be floating at your ear and you'd never know." Draco said condescendingly.

Harry looked a little hurt. "What's that supposed to mean? I bet I could do a better job than that Gryffindor did for sure. The fool wasn't paying attention to where the ground was, and nearly planted himself. Hard to say about Terence, the only reason he nearly didn't win, was the snitch practically showed up in McLaggen's hands."

Draco dismissed what Harry said with a wave of his hand. "Of course you could do better than the Gryffindork. Who couldn't? I'm just saying that next year if you want to play, you'd be better off trying out for chaser or something. I've got the seeker position in the bag. There's no point in you even trying out."

Blaise didn't even have to look at Harry's face to know that once again, Draco had irritated Harry. "I'm not sure that was the wisest way to express yourself Malfoy." Blaise commented dryly as Harry stood and disappeared into the crowd.

Draco swore. "Why does he have to be so sensitive? Merlin's beard, I can't censor myself constantly. It's Parkinson's fault. She's driving me nutters, and I can't properly deal with Potter while she's hounding me."

"I think you need to figure it out quickly. Potter seems just about ready to give up on you. He only sat with us because there was no room by Greengrass." Blaise said as he rose from his seat.

"At least that one is taking our betrothal realistically. She gave me a nice formal acknowledgment, and has kept her distance since." Draco said, then he crossed his arms in annoyance. "Although I can't help but wonder if she's been turning Potter against me."

Blaise left Draco to stew. He'd do his best to keep connected with the influential ponce, but he decided it was in his best interest to keep Potter as an ally. He'd try to catch up with Harry, and maintain his own relationship with the Boy-Who-Lived.

-o-o-

"Seriously Daphne, I think I really get why you're so upset about Draco. The whole marriage thing is bad enough, but he's half the time he's a major prat." Harry vented while walking alongside Daphne and Tracey.

"Actually he's that way most of the time. He just doesn't want you to realize it." Said a voice from behind them. The three Slytherins paused, and turned around. Blaise had caught up with them, and apparently had abandoned Draco. "Davis, Greengrass." He nodded to both girls in turn, as a greeting.

"Zabini." Daphne regarded the tall boy. Their expressions were eerily similar with their lack of emotion. "I agree with you completely. I'm surprised, I thought you two were close."

Blaise shrugged. "His family is powerful. It costs me little to keep him as a friend. I certainly wouldn't want him as an enemy."

Daphne stared at him for a moment, before turning back around and continuing toward the castle. "Makes sense to me."

As the four made their way across the grounds, Harry moved up to Tracey. "Is there a class on how to talk without actually moving your face at all? It's kind of creepy how they can do that."

She smirked, and held a finger up to her lips. "Shh, I think it's a pure-blood thing. We aren't supposed to know that they don't have emotions like us lowly half-bloods."

Rolling her eyes, Daphne said to no one in particular, "This is what I have to put up with every day."

Chuckling, Blaise responded. "You poor thing. Truly, no one has suffered as you do now."

"I think you're right Tracey. They've got to be robots. Why else would they talk like adults all the time?" Harry said, enjoying the friendly banter.

"What's a robot?" The three others asked almost at the same time.

"Right, never mind. It's a muggle thing. Kind of a person made of metal, but not really alive." Harry said trying to quickly describe the concept to the magic born children.

Daphne looked at Harry, eyes wide with a hint of fear. "Muggles can make metal golems? How can they do that without magic?"

Bewildered Harry tried to explain better. "Golems? No, robots aren't real... At least, not that kind of robot."

Having captured the attention of his companions, Harry tried his best to explain robots. Unfortunately, in doing so, he wound up bringing up more and more muggle concepts and inventions. Daphne, Tracey, and Blaise, having no grounding in the muggle world, had difficulty grasping Harry's poor explanations. Harry having such a stunted upbringing, didn't really understand what he was trying to describe anyway. By the time they made it back to the dungeons, Harry had given up, and the others were trying to figure out if he was joking about the whole thing or not.

-o-o-

"Taking a stroll through the forest Quirrell? Doesn't seem to match your temperament. One might think you were up to something." Snape drawled as he stepped from the shadows at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Quirrell jumped and stumbled back, gripping his chest as though having a heart attack. "S-Severus! I d-didn't see you there." Pulling himself together, he explained what he was doing. "Just t-trying to find a redcap or t-two for my third years." He gave a nervous smile.

"I'll join you then, there are several mushrooms that tend to grow near redcap lairs that I could use to replenish my stores." Walking along side the timid defense professor, Snape continued his minor inquisition. "I'm surprised you were going into the forest alone. For that matter, why didn't you just ask Hagrid for the redcaps? The great brute practically lives in here."

"I, I d-didn't think of it." He admitted with a nervous chuckle. "That's an g-great idea. I'll do that instead." Quirrell turned to leave.

Snape's arm darted out, gripping Quirrell's just enough to be uncomfortable. "Nonsense. With the two of us, there's hardly anything among these trees worth worrying over." Dragging Quirrell along, Snape moved deeper into the forest.

-o-o-

"Okay, if professor Snape continues to follow the textbook, then this Friday he'll have us make the Basic Binding Solution." Hermione whispered while skimming the potions book. "It's supposed to be a simple glue that will stick anything together for a short time."

"Unless you plan on somehow brewing their potions yourself Miss Granger, then I highly doubt you'll be able to help them any." Snape stopped, and loomed over Neville and Dudley. "You'd find your time better spent on just about anything other than these two dunderheads." Sneering the potions master moved on, slowly walking around the room.

All of the first years had a study hall on Monday that various professors would take turns overseeing. This particular Monday found an irritated Professor Snape stalking around the classroom. His sour disposition was such that even the Slytherins didn't dare do anything but schoolwork.

Dudley glared at his retreating form. "What a..."

"Shh," Hermione interrupted him. "And watch your language. No sense giving him an excuse to hand you a detention."

"What?" Dudley spoke softer. "I didn't say anything."

"You were going to, I can tell." Hermione turned her attention to Neville, who was still trembling from Snape's intimidating presence. "Neville, don't let him get to you. You'll do fine, just follow the instructions."

Neville shuddered. "He's so scary, every time he does that my mind just goes blank."

"Don't worry about it." Dudley tried to instill some of his own confidence into his friend. "I'll be right there next to you. I'll watch and make sure you don't melt your cauldron again. With Hermione helping us, I'll know just what to look out for."

-o-o-

The day over with, Snape fell heavily into a comfortable chair in his quarters. Applying pressure to his aching brow with one hand, he deftly used the other to down a headache relief potion. One advantage of being a potions master was that he rarely needed to bother with a healer. Most simple ailments could be handled with a simple potion. Well, simple by his standards. He shuddered at the thought of using a potion one of his students had brewed. His headache subsiding, he reflected on the past few weeks and the events that had caused the pain in the first place.

Quirrell was either a complete idiot, and attempting to steal the stone for his own use; or he was loyal to the dark lord, and working toward resurrecting his foul master. At first his Halloween distraction was a complete failure when Dumbledore had done the smart thing and locked everyone down in the great hall. Snape had then thought Dumbledore had lost his mind when he had each of the teachers search the school separately after sealing the student in their common rooms. Of course both Snape and Quirrell were unaware that the stone and its defenses had been moved. Quirrell found nothing, and Snape nearly killed himself following the stuttering imbecile. The fall onto devil's snare was almost pleasant. Onto nothing at all? Terrifying. If not for his quick reflexes Snape would have surely broken several bones.

Now he was certain that Dumbledore has lost his sense. Moving the stone into the forest may have been sound, but informing everyone? Including Quirrell himself? Not to mention having that loose lipped buffoon Hagrid as one of the few with complete knowledge of the traps. Bloody lunacy. Snape had doubled his efforts to keep an eye on Quirrell, and had already caught him sneaking out into the forest to search for the stone. Redcaps, there's no need whatsoever to teach using live ones, a picture is sufficient. The standard defense against the bloodthirsty little beasts is so simple, even the brainless students can manage it. At least it had given him an opportunity to gather ingredients, he really was running low.

Then there was Potter. Snape had kept true to his promise, and given the boy the chance to make his own impression. Even though he was the mirror image of his thrice damned father, his appearance seemed to be the only resemblance. Potter was meek, not arrogant. He tried to fade into the background, and only come forward when he had a strong hand to play. The boy was a Slytherin, no mistake about it. Snape smirked, thinking how it would pain James to see his little boy in the house of snakes. The boy even had his mother's talent for potions. Add his unfortunate history of abuse with his muggle relatives, and Snape had a hard time hating the boy.

Even with all of the positive points in Potter's favor, Snape still struggled with each interaction. That hated face staring up at him made his blood boil. Knowing that the boy was the result of James bloody Potter befouling his best friend Lily. Lily, Merlin how he regretted losing her. His own mistakes haunted him every day. He lost her once when they were sorted into different houses, then he lost her again in a fit of adolescent stupidity. One final time he lost her due to his own misguided beliefs in a less than noble cause.

As tears started to roll down his face, he reached for a bottle. Downing it swiftly, he let oblivion take him. A dreamless sleep kept his demons at bay, and gave him the strength to face yet another day.

-o-o-

Severus was a traitor and a fool. Did the idiot honestly think he could prevent Quirrell from searching for the key to his master's return? The leaves crunched under his feet as he moved deeper into the forest. The wildlife instinctively kept their distance, allowing him to search relatively unimpeded.

It was nearly three in the morning, when he came upon a cave that reeked of magic. Carefully edging forward, wand drawn, he searched for traps. Not finding anything, he lit his wand with a filtered light spell. Soft red light poured into the mouth of the cave, illuminating a massive mound of fur. Wand trained on the unknown creature, he took a tentative step forward.

-snap-

His heart leaped up into his throat as the twig broke under his foot. He froze, but the beast before him did not stir. It simply continued it's rhythmic snoring which echoed around him now that he'd entered the cave.

Mindful of the detritus on the cave floor, he took another step forward, and froze once more. Something was wrong. He couldn't hear anything save for the beating of his heart, but that didn't mean anything. Bollocks, he couldn't hear anything. The beast was no longer snoring.

Slowly three heads uncurled from the furry mass to loom overhead. Three sets of lips curled back revealing enormous sharp teeth. Three distinct growls rumbled lowly, echoing off of the cave walls. The entire image was made more frightening by the red glow emanating from Quirrell's wand.

Thinking quickly, he closed his eyes, and cast the most powerful light spell he knew. The cerberus gave several high pitched yips as it was blinded by a light more intense than the noonday sun. Forgoing any sense of dignity, Quirrell bolted from the cave as fast as he could manage.

Heart pounding, he heard a malicious high pitched voice spoke softly, echoing in the back of his mind. "Find a way to kill or subdue it. Find it quickly."

"Yes master, the beast must be the groundskeeper's defense. I will learn how to get past it one way or another." Quirrell said softly as he worked his way back toward the castle.

"See that you do. I will not tolerate yet another failure."

With that cold statement, Quirrel thought feverishly on how to succeed. His life clearly depended on it.

-o-o-

Dudley walked into the potions classroom with Hermione and Neville at his side. Hermione had drilled into both boys how to brew the Basic Binding Solution. Dudley felt confident. Assuming nothing surprising happened, they could do this. Neville was still a bundle of nerves, but held himself together in the company of his friends. Before they could sit down at their customary seats, Snape made an announcement.

"Due to an overwhelming number of dismal failures in this class, I'll be breaking up your usual pairings. Perhaps without your friends distracting you, some of you might manage an acceptable on today's potion." Snape's face was impassive as he waved his wand casually at the board. A seating chart appeared. "Regardless of whom you sit next to, you will all brew your own potion. It is time to see who is capable without relying on a more able partner."

Neville turned stark white as he realized he'd been paired up with Seamus. Not only would he not have Dudley there to keep him calm, but Seamus was well known for causing explosions when there wasn't anything explosive.

Dudley frowned as he realized he'd been paired with Ron. Hopefully there wouldn't be any problems, but either way he wouldn't be able to help Neville at all. Looking over at Hermione, he could tell she was also upset about Neville's predicament.

Harry found himself paired with Draco. Just last week, he wouldn't have minded at all, but now he was worried that his irritation with the blonde pure-blood would affect his work. He spared a glance at Draco, and was surprised to see a look of relief.

"Quit gawking at each other and sit down. Unless of course you wish to forgo any lesson today and move right into brewing. If that is the case, then by all means continue to waste my time." Snape's low voice reverberated around the room, cutting through everyone's silent musing.

Once everyone was seated, Snape began his customary pacing. "Put away your textbooks, today we'll be going over a simple potion of my own design. The Stumbling Solution is something I concocted in my fifth year as a student. It is a mild poison that affects the inner ear. Under it's effects a person is rendered incapable of maintaining their balance. Whoever drinks the potion will stumble about for several hours until the poison either wears off, or is neutralized."

Hermione raised her hand. "Professor, what about the Basic Binding Solution? I had thought that would be our next potion." She asked, hoping maybe the potions professor had made a mistake, and her preparations would not be wasted.

"If you expect every lesson to come strait from the textbook, then you are sorely mistaken." Snape said, a slight smirk playing across his lips for an instant. "This is not history of magic, and I am not Professor Binns. There is more to potions than you could ever learn from a mere book."

Crestfallen, Hermione looked across the room at her new friends. Dudley looked upset, and poor Neville was depressed. Sparing a glance toward the Slytherins, she saw several grins aimed her way. Draco Malfoy's face had a particularly nasty smirk on it. Dudley's cousin Harry, in contrast, was looking at the professor with a small frown.

Professor Snape spent the next twenty minutes going over the potion, and explaining the new techniques introduced in its brewing. Once he had finished, he gave the students a few moment to finish scrawling their notes. When the last Slytherin set down their quill, he vanished the diagrams and explanations from the board, much to the consternation of several Gryffindors.

With a final wave of his wand, instructions for his Stumbling Solution appeared. "Instructions are on the board, you have until the end of class." Snape stood at the front of the room and watched as students got out their equipment, and retrieved ingredients from the open supply cabinets.

Not ten minutes later, Seamus' potion ignited and a column of multicolored flame shot up into the air. Startled by the impromptu pyrotechnics, Neville accidentally knocked over his cauldron. The unfinished potion spilled across the floor, until Snape vanished it.

"Mister Finnigan, unless a lack of eyebrows prevents you from doing so, you actually have enough time for another attempt." Snape said while he levitated Neville's cauldron back onto the table. "Hurry now Longbottom, if you let Mister Finnigan's spectacular failure slow you down, you won't have time to make your own disastrous mistakes."

Shrinking under Snape's stare, Neville retreated to gather more ingredients. As he passed by Hermione, she whispered, "Calm down, and you'll do fine. We believe in you."

Elsewhere in the room, Ron glanced at Dudley who was carefully stirring his cauldron. Dudley's lips moved as he silently counted each circuit. "You ever gonna start talking to me again?" The redhead asked softly.

"You ever gonna apologize?" Dudley questioned as he gently poured in the next ingredient, and lowered his flame.

"What for? I haven't done anything to you." Ron said heatedly.

Dudley Pointed at Ron's potion, which was starting to smoke. "Might want to worry more about that, but you need to say you're sorry about what you did to my cousin. Until then, bugger off."

Ron was about to retort, when Snape vanished his potion. "Let's not have another pillar of fire in my classroom. Looks like that's a zero for you today Weasley. There isn't enough time for you to start over." Looking down into Dudley's cauldron, Snape sneered. "Lose five points Dursley, for distracting Mister Weasley. As colorful as it was I do not appreciate any attempt to recreate Finnigan's mistake."

Upset, Ron leaned back with his arms crossed. Wisely he refrained from commenting. He did spend the remaining time glaring at Snape when his back was turned, and scowling at the Slytherins in general, some of which were all but laughing at his misfortune.

Harry and Draco were silent for most of the brewing process. Both concentrated on their work, and nearly ten minutes before the end of class, Draco ladled his pale orange potion into a phial. Harry's own potion was completed shortly after, his being a shade or two brighter than Draco's.

Both having finished, Draco whispered a quiet apology to Harry. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said before. C'mon, we're mates there's no reason to hold it against me. You know how much Parkinson has been throwing me off lately. You'd be saying stuff you don't mean in my place too."

"I don't believe you didn't mean it. Didn't mean to say it sure, but I'm not stupid Draco. You think you're better than everyone. I'm done holding myself back because someone else has to be better." Harry said flatly. "Don't think I haven't noticed you act differently around me than everyone else. For some reason you really don't want me to dislike you. Tell me why, then actually work on being who you're pretending to be, and then we can be mates."

Draco's eyes widened in shock, and his temper boiled over. He was Draco Malfoy, scion of the noble house of Malfoy, heir to the ancient and noble house of Black. "I don't think I'm better than everyone. I am better than everyone." He hissed. "I thought you'd make a decent ally, but if you're too blind to see your place, then why don't you crawl off to be friends with your pathetic cousin and his ridiculous friends the mudblood whore and the stupid squib."

Harry's eyes narrowed, and he gathered his things. As he set his phial on Snape's desk, the professor asked that he stay after again. Not trusting himself to speak just then, Harry nodded, and sat down at an empty desk near Snape's and waited. Draco dropped off his own potion and left without deigning to even look at Harry.

As Harry waited for the class to end, he watched as each student brought up their Stumbling Solution for grading. Hermione was next, her potion was identical to his own. Blaise raised his eyebrow questioningly at Harry as he set his slightly darker potion down. In response, Harry mouthed 'later.' One by one most of the Slytherins deposited phials filled with potions that were various shades of orange. Goyle's was blue for some reason, and Daphne's was almost red. The Gryffindors had some the proper color, but their were yellows, reds, and somehow Finnigan's was shimmering like a rainbow. Dudley nodded at Harry when he set down his red-orange potion, and Harry returned his cousin's gesture.

Finally, Longbottom brought up his potion, which was a bright yellow orange. Under the glare of Professor Snape, Neville stumbled and his phial went flying. Harry leaned over in his seat, and managed to catch the phial right before it hit the stone floor. "Thanks, um, Harry." Neville squeaked before hurrying out the door away from Snape's withering gaze.

-o-o-

"I can't believe it, he knew what we were doing in that study period Monday. He could have told us we were working on the wrong potion." Hermione said in a huff as she walked alongside Dudley and Neville.

"The greasy git probably changed it on purpose." Dudley fumed. "Couldn't have Gryffindors actually do good for once."

Neville just walked along in silence, staring at the ground, barely paying attention to where they were going.

"How did you guys think you did?" Hermione asked. "I know we studied the wrong thing, but some of it had to help right?"

Dudley shook his head. "I don't know. I think mine was the wrong color, but at least I'll get better than a zero. I may not be happy with Ron, but he didn't deserve that. Snape's a bloody..."

"Language!" Hermione interrupted. "And it's Professor Snape. Just because he's unpleasant doesn't mean he doesn't deserve our respect."

Both boys looked over at Hermione incredulously.

"You're barking, you know that right?" Dudley said with his mouth agape. He shook his head again, and turned his attention to Neville. "How'd you do? I can't believe Snape actually gave you a second chance after Seamus made you spill your potion." He said as he slapped the quiet boy on the back.

Stumbling forward, Neville caught himself and straightened. "Better than I have before. I doubt he'll pass it, but at least I handed something in this time... Thanks to your cousin." In response to their questioning looks, Neville continued before they could ask what he meant. "I tripped bringing it over to get graded. My potion would have smashed to bits if Harry hadn't caught it."

-o-o-

After the room was empty except for Harry and Snape, Harry looked up at the hook nosed professor. "You wanted something sir?"

For a moment there was only silence as the older wizard stared at the phial in Harry's hand. "I have in my office the inter-house quidditch cup, and I have grown fond of seeing it there. I understand that you can handle a broom?" He asked with his usual monotone.

Slightly confused, Harry answered. "Yes sir, I enjoy flying very much."

"Excellent. With a catch like that, I believe you may be capable of replacing Mister Higgs. Talk to Mister Flint. When you both have the time, I want him to help you train." Snape folded his hands, and placed his forefingers against his mouth in contemplation. "Next year, I expect you to be our reserve seeker. I will feel better knowing Mister Higgs will have a fully trained replacement for when he graduates."

"Now, on to other matters. I did not ask you to remain merely to talk about quidditch." Snape picked up Harry's phial and poured a single drop on a piece of parchment. The parchment turned black where the potion hit, then faded to a pale green. "It seems Mister Potter, that you have taken my words to heart. Your work has steadily improved, and today's attempt is flawless." He said, his face still betraying no emotion. "A cursory glance at the others, tells me only Miss Granger's has any chance of being as well made."

"Thank you sir." Harry responded, then carefully asked a question that had been on his mind since the class began. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, why did you change today's lesson? Monday you had the glue potion on the list in the common room, but you changed it after the study period."

"A simple error on my part. Much like Miss Granger had thought, I do mostly follow the textbook. This was a good place to insert my Stumbling Solution. The Basic Binding Solution will be next week." He explained. "I made the original list before checking with my own lesson plan. After realizing my mistake, I corrected it. I trust everyone discovered the change in time to prepare accordingly?"

"I think so sir." Harry agreed, then looked off to the side at nothing. "I... My godfather sent me an album with pictures of my parents, and stories from when they were kids. He said that, um you knew my mum better than he did when she was my age."

Snape's eyes cycled from rage, to longing, to sorrow, and finally he closed them. He opened his eyes with a sigh, and looked at Harry with resolve. "Your mother and I met before Hogwarts. She was my best friend. We lived nearby to each other, and I was the one who first told her that she was a witch."

Harry's looked at his head of house in wonder. "Can, can you tell me about her?"

"Perhaps some other time." Snape said as he stood and gathered the potions to be graded. "Suffice to say I believe she would be proud of you. Now go, the rest of these will not be so easy for me to grade. Color alone can be misleading. I will be truly shocked if more than half of these are actually worth passing."

-o-o-

Authors Note: Nothing to see here except for a review response.

To NatNicole reviewing chapter 11: Yes, Dora is awesome.

The only reason Hermione's parents were involved, was that Dumbledore has to be very careful about keeping everything transparent. He didn't want to give the board any ammunition to attack him with. After all, he's used up almost all his good will early on in the story. Of course he still isn't being open about everything, but a troll attack is kind of high profile.

To be fair, chances are Mrs. Granger's name is supposed to be Jean. JKR tended to use the parent's first name as the child's middle name, but I just can't see her as anything but Emma anymore.


	13. Home for the holidays

Authors Note: I hope everyone here in America enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving. For those of you reading from elsewhere, I hope you had a lovely Thursday.

Warning: For anyone sensitive to child abuse, there will be some off screen later in the chapter. On a happier note, the awaited meeting between Harry and Sirius has finally come.

As always, thank you to everyone reading. If not for you, I probably wouldn't be writing any of this. Special thanks to all reviewers, and especially those taking the time to review each chapter. More than anything else, reviews give me the inspiration to put out chapters as often as I do.

-o-o-

Chapter 13

Home for the holidays.

-o-o-

Before long, Winter had come to Hogwarts in earnest. The grounds were blanketed with snow, and the castle was decorated with cheerful reds and greens. Winter break was fast approaching, and most of the students were eager to spend the holidays with their families.

"You guys going home tomorrow?" Tracey asked cheerfully as she dropped heavily onto the couch between Harry and Daphne. Causing her two friends to nearly bounce off of the couch with the force of her landing, Tracey giggled.

Glaring at her friend, Daphne shifted to allow herself more room. "Was that really necessary? For that matter, did you get hit with a cheering charm or something? I swear I saw a Hufflepuff doing that yesterday."

Before the hyper girl could respond, Harry spoke up. "That might have been Dora, she mentioned the other day that there weren't enough happy people this close to the holidays."

"It was an older girl. She was tall and had curly red hair. Was that her?" Daphne asked. Harry had mentioned his 'sister' a few times, but never described her.

"Maybe, I dunno. She's a metamorphy something or other. She can change how she looks, so if she was doing something against the rules, she probably changed what she looks like." He explained. "It sure sounds like something she'd do though. Last time we talked, she kept hitting me with a tickling jinx. Said I was being gloomy."

Laughing, Tracey said, "She sounds like fun, but nope. I'm completely charm and jinx free. I'm just excited about Christmas, aren't you?"

"Something tells me that my family is a little more subdued than yours." Daphne commented dryly.

"I didn't know wizards and witches celebrated Christmas. Weren't most of the witch burnings done by Christians?" Harry asked, not truly caring about the holiday much considering he'd never celebrated it before.

"Actually, the holiday we now call Christmas was celebrated by witches and wizards long before muggles ever started that religion." Daphne said, trying to remember the details. "I can't recall exactly why they adopted our holiday, but I guess it really doesn't matter."

"Course not, all that matters is we get to go home and celebrate!" Tracey bounced on the couch exuberantly. "And can't forget the presents!"

Jostled further by Tracey's overly enthusiastic show of excitement, both Harry and Daphne gave up trying to sit on the couch, and got up to leave.

"Come on Harry. It's almost lunchtime anyway. Let's head down to the great hall where it's less energetic." Daphne said as she walked off, not bothering to see if she was being followed.

"Hey, that's no fun!" Tracey called after her friends. "I can't act like this out in the rest of the castle."

"That very thought crossed my mind." Daphne muttered, causing Harry to laugh. Turning to face him as they walked, she asked about Blaise. "Do you know where Zabini is? I could use someone else with a sense of decorum to talk to right about now."

"He's in our dorm with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle." Harry replied. "I can't do it anymore, but if he wants to put up with that stuck up prat, I'm not gonna stop him." Thinking for a second, he adopted a pained expression. "Hey, I'm not sophisticated enough to talk to?"

Exiting the common room, and letting the false wall slide back into place, all emotion vanished from Daphne's face. "You speak very well for someone raised by muggles." She said with practiced calm. "However, you have to admit that your speech lacks a certain refinement."

Harry glared at her. "You're lucky I know that being a stuck up snob is just an act for you."

She smacked him lightly upside the head. "Which is ruined if you mention it in public."

"Hey." He protested. "The halls are empty. It's not like there are any invisible people spying on us."

She looked at him like he was an idiot. "How can you possibly be certain of that?"

"I... Wait, you mean you can really make yourself invisible?" Harry asked.

She shrugged. "I can't, but I know there are at least two or three different ways it can be done."

"Magic is so cool." Harry said softly as they began ascending the staircase that would lead them to the great hall.

-o-o-

"Magic is so cool." Dudley said, unknowingly echoing his cousin.

The great hall had been decorated once more, this time for the Christmas holiday. The giant groundskeeper was dragging an enormous fir tree in from the cold, and there were several more already set up. Illusory snow wafted down gently from the high arched ceiling, vanishing before reaching the students below.

Professor Flitwick was decorating each tree in a unique and whimsical manner. Waving his wand about as if he were conducting an orchestra; garland, tinsel, and ornaments flew through the air. What looked like real glowing fairies were flitting about the trees, illuminating them playfully.

Professor McGonagall was systematically transfiguring the suits of armor so that they wielded giant peppermint sticks instead of their customary weapons. They would draw the oversized confections and sing patches of Christmas carols as students walked past.

Hermione was the one to figure out why the suits' songs weren't a cacophony, with so many constantly singing in one room. "They must be enchanted so that each one can only be heard if their peppermint sword is above you." She said in wonder as she tested her theory by trying to avoid being under the metal knight's waving candy weapon. She was so absorbed that Dudley and Neville had to pull her over to the tables.

"It's all so amazing, I almost don't want to go home for Christmas." She said as the boys had her sit down.

Dudley sat down next to her, and loaded his plate. "Any weird wizard traditions I need to know about Neville?"

"I can't really say. I've never had a muggle Christmas, so I wouldn't know the differences." Neville said as he sat down on Dudley's other side.

"Well, what wizarding traditions are there that can't be done without magic?" Hermione asked. "Muggles can't very well have a tradition that they can't do."

"Good point." Neville said his cheeks tinged red with embarrassment for not seeing the obvious. "Um, let me think a moment. There's magic crackers. You pull on them, and toys and candy come out with a bang. They also have silly hats inside."

"We have, I mean muggles have those." Dudley said. "Only their not magic. I don't know how they work though."

"Fireworks." Hermione said, then elaborated. "They've got a safe kind of explosive in the cracker than goes 'pop' when you break them. The hats are only paper crowns though, do wizard crackers have real hats?"

Neville nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and the toys are usually something like a set of gobstones, or an exploding snap deck. Once I got a whole chess set. The pieces never liked me though, so I don't use it."

Dudley was about to comment on chess pieces having opinions, but decided he didn't care. Chess wasn't exactly a game he liked anyway. "I guess I'll just figure on everything being kind of the same, but cooler."

"I don't understand how you can stand to be around a pair of mud-bloods Longbottom." Draco said as he walked over, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "But considering you're practically a squib yourself, I suppose you fit right in."

Dudley shot to his feet. "You talk awful big Malfoy. One of these days I'm gonna get tired of holding myself back."

Draco laughed, which was accompanied by his companions dutifully chuckling. "What makes you think a mud-blood like you can threaten me? I've already proven I'm better than you, or do you need another demonstration?"

Despite Neville and Hermione trying to get him to sit back down, Dudley moved so that he was right in Draco's face. "If Sprout hadn't showed up when she did, I'd have flattened you Malfoy." He said, his voice hardly louder whisper, and his expression stony. "If you think I'm scared of you hexing me you're dumber than your friends look. You're wand won't help you after I shove it..."

"Is there a problem here Mister Dursley?" Snape's low voice interrupted Dudley's threat.

The corner of Draco's mouth twitched up into a grin for a fraction of a second, before he backed up and pointed at Dudley. "He threatened me sir. Said he was going to beat me up." Both Crabbe and Goyle nodded in agreement.

"I see. Ten points from Gryffindor for threatening a student. However, considering it is the holidays, I'll forgo assigning a detention. You should be thankful I am in such a festive spirit." Snape said with an absolutely flat expression.

Snape then turned to the three Slytherins. "Mister Malfoy, a moment of your time please. Messrs Crabbe and Goyle, there is no need for you to wait for Mister Malfoy."

Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other, and shrugged. They turned around, and headed toward the Slytherin table to get some more food before lunch ended.

Off to the side, and out of earshot, Snape spoke softly to Draco. "A Slytherin picks his battles Mister Malfoy. While you are no doubt the superior wizard, first year spells will hardly allow you to defend yourself from a hulking brute such as Mister Dursley." Snape looked Draco in the eyes. "Draco, your father has informed me of the requirements you are to meet so that you may inherit from your grandfather. You are not succeeding. Your parents may have been able to handle the marriage requirements for you, but the others are your responsibility. You need to start showing better judgment."

"I had everything under control uncle Severus." Draco said with confidence. "Dursley wouldn't have done anything in the middle of the great hall, and even if he did, the trip to the hospital wing would have been worth getting him in trouble."

Snape shut his eyes and touched his forehead as if in pain. "Do you think your father gained his influence by allowing himself to be beaten? Use your brain. Allowing yourself to be harmed will lead to sympathy and pity, not power. I won't always be nearby to protect you, and before you try to say otherwise, I know that you were unaware of my presence while you goaded Mister Dursley."

Snape walked away, leaving Draco unsure and slightly worried. He'd forgotten about the list of things to improve on that father had sent him earlier in the year. If uncle Severus didn't think he was doing well, then neither would father.

-o-o-

The train ride back to London went quickly. Dudley, Neville, and Hermione were joined by Lavender and Parvati in their compartment. The two muggleborns spent the ride with the three pure-bloods, comparing the differences between a muggle childhood and a magical one. Lavender and Parvati were disappointed to learn that Hermione didn't seem to know anything about muggle fashion.

"I don't get it, how can you call yourself a girl, and not know what's in style?" Lavender asked, genuinely confused.

Seeing his newer friend, feeling uncomfortable, Dudley came to Hermione's rescue. "So she's not a girly girl, big deal."

"My parents have subscriptions to a couple fashion magazines for their office." Hermione said, using Dudley's interruption to rally her own confidence. "They cycle out the ones that are older. If you want, I'll see if I can bring back a bunch after the break."

"But if they're old..." Lavender started to say until Parvati pinched her. "Ouch!" She glared at her friend.

"That'd be fantastic Hermione." The Indian witch said. "If you could get one or two that are up to date also, then that would be amazing. We'd love to see what muggles think is stylish. Why do your parents have fashion magazines at their office, are they clothing designers?" Both Lavender's and Parvati's eyes lit up at the thought.

"No, they're dentists." Hermione said before the other girls could get too excited. "They have a bunch of different magazines in their waiting room, for their patients to read while they wait."

Neville wound up asking the inevitable question. "What's a dentist?"

"A dentist is a kind of doctor... um... a muggle healer." Hermione explained. "They work on teeth."

Lavender looked confused. "What kind of healer only works on teeth? They can't have a lot of work if that's all they do."

"Oh no, they have a ton of business. People need to get their teeth checked out twice a year. Everybody goes to the dentist." Hermione corrected.

The three pure-bloods looked amazed. Neville spoke up. "No offense, but I'm glad we have healers instead of dentists. If you get a toothache, you go see a healer, and they take care of it. It sounds like an awful lot of trouble to go to a healer when there's nothing wrong with you."

Only half paying attention, Dudley perked up at Neville's comment. "Awesome! You mean I never have to go to the dentist again?" Dudley pumped his fist in the air. "That's like, the only thing my mum wouldn't let me get out of, no matter how much I complained. Sorry Hermione, but dentists suck."

Hermione crossed her arms and huffed. "You just had a lousy one then. My parents are quite good."

The conversation continued, and the topic changed constantly. However, the differences between the magical and the muggle remained a consistent theme.

-o-o-

Harry shared a compartment with Daphne, Tracey, and third year Adrian Pucey. Adrian had been volunteered by Marcus Flint to see that Harry knew what he needed to in order to join the quidditch team next year. He was surprisingly friendly, and didn't seem to mind talking with three first years. When the conversation inevitably led to quidditch, the girls begged off and held their own hushed conversation as Adrian explained the ins and outs of the game.

"All I really need to do is find and catch the little gold one, um, the snitch right?" Harry asked.

"Sort of." Replied Adrian. "That's your priority, but there's a lot more a good seeker can do. You can't touch the quaffle, but you can run interference. If you are a good enough flier, you can break up the other team's seeker formation by cutting through it. Be careful though. If you hit someone it will hurt, and it'll count as a foul."

"I didn't see Terence or the Gryffindor seeker do anything like that." Harry pointed out. "It looked to me like they were just searching for the snitch."

Adrian lightly laughed. "Yeah, well, Gryffindor's seeker isn't good at all. I heard they found him last minute and just took him at his word that he could play. I think he only practiced with the team once or twice. Higgs on the other hand..." Adrian shrugged. "He's not bad, but he doesn't believe the rest of the team matters much, so he doesn't try very hard beyond catching the snitch."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked curiously.

"Some people, like Higgs, think that only the seeker matters because catching the snitch is worth 150 points, and it ends the game." The older boy explained. "Most of the time I guess they're kind of right, but you'd be surprised how fast a good team can rack up that many points with just goals. The longer a game lasts, the less important catching the snitch is. Don't get me wrong it's still really important, but it isn't unheard of for a team to catch the snitch, and still lose."

Harry nodded quickly in agreement. "Like how if the Gryffindor/Slytherin match lasted just a little longer, we would've won even if they caught the snitch."

"Exactly." Adrian agreed, before launching into examples of how a good seeker could help out his team's chasers.

For the remainder of the train ride, Harry listened intently as Adrian went over different aspects of the game.

-o-o-

After arriving at King's Cross station, Harry and Dudley found each other shortly after exiting the train.

"Do you know where we're supposed to go?" Dudley asked, his sight blocked by the mass of students disembarking.

Harry pointed off to the side. "Dora said to meet up with her, and I'll bet you that's her over there."

Looking to where his cousin was pointing, Dudley noticed a spiked hairdo above the sea of people. The hair in question was striped red and green, with the colors alternating smoothly. "You're probably right. She's really weird you know."

"Yeah, but in a good way." Harry agreed as they worked their way through the crowd.

"Oh good, you guys found me." Dora said as the two boys walked up to her. "I was about to start hunting for you. This may look awesome, but it's annoying to do. I have to concentrate to keep the colors changing." To punctuate her statement, her hair stopped shifting, and settled into a static striped pattern.

"Come on then, follow me. Mum and dad are waiting." She said as she made her way through the thinning crowd, making sure that both boys were keeping up with her.

Andromeda and Ted greeted their daughter with hugs, and only a mild disapproving glare from Andromeda regarding her festive hair. Harry and Dudley received hugs as well, although tentatively in Harry's case, and reluctantly in Dudley's. It was agreed that they would apparate back home to avoid the wait at the public fireplaces. Dora vanished first, and Andromeda shortly followed with Harry in tow. Ted gripped Dudley firmly by the shoulder, and disaparrated after the others.

-o-o-

Narcissa Malfoy had greeted Draco with an embarrassing hug and kiss in front of his friends, before apparating them to just outside their manor.

Before entering the house proper she gently brushed his cheek, and looked at him with a forced smile. "Your father is waiting for you in his study. I'll see to it that the elf has dinner ready once you two are finished talking."

Draco shoved her hand away, and straitened his posture. "Thank you mother. I'll go see what he wants right away."

Ascending the ornate marble staircase, Draco worked on how he would explain his failed friendship with Potter. Holding himself confidently, he knocked on the door to his father's study.

"Come in Draco." Lucius responded to the knock. As soon as the door opened, he followed up with, "Sit down son, and tell me how you have been doing at Hogwarts. Only so much can be said through owl post."

Lucius sat in his favorite chair sipping a glass of wine. At his father's prompt, Draco sat in the chair next to Lucius, an end table with a decanter separating them. Lucius listened patiently as Draco described, and further detailed much of what he had already written home about.

"It seems you are doing well. From your descriptions, I see you have influence over the majority of the Slytherins in your year. Don't worry about Davis, she is a non-issue. Her family is not worth courting, they lack both power and money." The elder Malfoy said approvingly. "Now, what of Potter? You have not been clear describing your relationship with the esteemed Boy-Who-Lived."

"At first I was able to easily guide Potter. He looked to me whenever he needed direction." Draco paused, choosing his words carefully. "Unfortunately as the semester progressed, he gained confidence, and turned to me less and less. I did everything within my power to bring him to the proper way of thinking, but it appears mother's blood traitor sister has permanently tainted his views."

"I did warn you about her influence on the boy." Lucius said, not surprised at his son's lack of progress. "You will just have to be more convincing. While you are home, I will help you plan ways to correct his misconceptions. When you return, you will redouble your efforts. It will only be a matter of time before he sees the truth."

Draco looked nervous. "It may not be that simple father."

Lucius raised his eyebrow, and looked directly at his son. "Oh, why is that?"

"Ah, Potter has decided that he no longer wishes to associate with me." Draco avoided his father's gaze. "I have reason to believe that Greengrass has been painting me in a bad light."

Setting down his wineglass, Lucius stood and faced away from Draco. "Then, am I correct in assuming that you cannot reform a friendship with the boy?"

"It seems that way father." Draco agreed. "Potter tends to be self-effacing, but he can be quite firm when he has formed an opinion."

"Convincing Potter to agree with our way of thinking was admittedly unlikely." Lucius conceded.

Draco relaxed visibly, and sank into the comfortable chair. "Thank you for not being upset father."

"Although, it is curious." Lucius said, ignoring Draco. "You were his first contact on the express, Potter was sorted as a Slytherin, and from your letters home you dutifully kept him nearby. I find myself wondering; what happened?"

Draco stiffened, but Lucius continued before he could form an explanation. "Your grandfather has reservations about your ability to control your emotions. I assured him that as my son you would be able to do so when necessary. In fact, I went so far as to give you additional lessons before you left for school did I not?" Again Lucius gave his son no time to respond. "You seemed to have the deck stacked in your favor, yet you still failed. I ask you, did you lose your composure? and in doing so, did you drive Potter away?"

"Father, I... It's Parkinson's fault. She has been hounding me since you signed that contract with her father. I cannot concentrate while she's constantly pushing herself upon me." Draco desperately tried to shift the blame from himself. "Besides, as I said Greengrass has been turning him against me."

"I have several ways to monitor what happens at Hogwarts. The Greengrass girl has done nothing of the sort. Even if she had, she is likely your betrothed. Both her and Parkinson should be under your control. Blaming either one for your faults is disgraceful." Lucius slowly turned around to face Draco. In his hand he held his wand aloft. "I had thought I was perfectly clear in my expectations of you. It is absolutely necessary for you to inherit from your grandfather Cygnus. To give your blood traitor cousin control of the Black family is unthinkable. I see now that I need to motivate you better."

Lucius leveled his wand at Draco whose eye's widened in disbelief, and uttered a single word. "Crucio."

-o-o-

Ted, Dora, and Dudley went right inside their cottage, while Andromeda led Harry around the outside to their back yard.

"Andy, why are you showing me a garden shed?" Harry asked. He was a little confused, and despite himself slightly nervous. He had come to know that the Tonks were really nice, and Dora had all but beat it into him that they would never treat him like the Dursleys did. Unfortunately years of abuse still had a hold of him, and he couldn't help but wonder if they expected him to do yard work in the middle of winter, or maybe the shed was to be his new home.

"We wanted to have everyone stay here, but our cottage simply doesn't have enough room." Andy started to explain.

Harry's heart sank. He was right, they were kicking him out. He was to live out in a freezing cold shed, while everyone else remained warm and happy inside the house.

"...think? Harry, I asked what do you think?" Andromeda's question shook him out of his stupor.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what I did wrong, but please don't make me stay in the tool shed." Harry begged.

Stunned, Andromeda tried to think what she had said that led to that conclusion. "Harry, why would you think we were going to make you stay in a tool shed?"

Clearly stressed, Harry's words came so quickly they nearly ran into each other. "You said there wasn't enough room, and you bring me out here, and Dudley's inside and warm, and its freezing cold out here, and..."

"Harry, Harry stop." She said turning him to face her, and looking him in the eyes. "I'm sorry if that's what I made you believe, but what we're actually doing out here is meeting Sirius."

"Sirius?" Harry muttered confused, his mind still racing with terrible thoughts.

"Yes, Sirius. Your godfather, and my cousin. He's been staying here since he was released from Saint Mungo's." She explained. "He's still nervous about meeting you, so he wanted to do it in a more private setting. I had thought he'd want to meet you at the station, but he told me, 'If I'm going to make an arse of myself, I'd rather not do it in front of half of wizarding Britain.' That's why he's waiting for you here." Figuring the best way to put Harry's mind at ease would be to show him, she knocked on the shed door, and opened it wide.

"Andy! Come in, come in. Did you bring him?" A voice from inside the shed called out.

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. The shed didn't look very big, but the inside was an entire house. Harry carefully poked his head in and looked around. Then he looked again at the outside of the shed. He'd taken a lot in stride, but this was just unbelievable.

Andromeda walked straight in, expecting Harry to be right behind her. She found Sirius descending the ladder from his bedroom. "I half expected you to be waiting by the door. Were you napping?"

Sirius laughed nervously. "No I just had to change is all. Spilled my tea, no big deal. Where's Harry? Don't tell me he changed his mind."

Sirius looked disappointed, until both he and Andromeda noticed Harry darting in and out of the door with a look of wonder. "Of course. He was raised muggle. He wouldn't know about expansion charms. I should have known better." She said while berating herself silently.

"I've got it." Sirius said, and moved swiftly to greet his godson.

Caught up in trying to figure out how something could be bigger on the inside than on the outside, Harry didn't notice Sirius' approach.

"Pretty cool isn't it? Ted did some fantastic spellwork making this little cabin for me." Sirius said with confidence he really didn't feel.

Harry jumped back startled, but quickly composed himself, but he couldn't stop himself from looking embarrassed. "Uh, sorry." Harry stepped inside fully, and closed the door behind him. "I'm Harry, are you Sirius?"

Biting his tongue, because now was not the time for puns, Sirius replied seriously. "I am indeed. Come on, we can sit by the fireplace." He led Harry to the open area where Andromeda had already taken a seat on the couch.

"What did you think of the album I sent you? Have you gone through it yet?" Sirius tentatively asked as he and Harry each took a chair.

Harry smiled brightly, and for a fleeting moment Sirius was looking at an eleven year old James Potter. He immediately brushed that thought away. This was Harry, not James. James was a brash Gryffindor who came from a loving magical family. Harry was an insecure Slytherin who was raised by abusive muggles. To confuse father and son could damage the relationship Sirius hoped desperately to build.

"It's brilliant. I look at it almost every night." The young Slytherin said enthusiastically. "Can you tell me more about my mum and dad? I've talked with Professor Snape about my mum a couple of times, but I don't think he likes talking about her much."

Professor Snape, that would take some time to get used to that particular image. Sirius could hardly believe that Snivellus was a professor, and head of house to boot. Something pretty monumental must have happened while he was in prison for that scenario to make any sense at all.

Shaking himself out of his daze, Sirius answered. "Absolutely, there are quite a few stories to tell that I didn't want to write down." He winked conspiratorially at Harry. "It's been a while, but some of the things we did, I think I can still get in trouble for."

"Well, in the spirit of plausible deniability, I believe I shall see how everyone else is doing." Andromeda said as she got up. "Are you two going to be okay?"

Both Harry and Sirius agreed, they would be fine without her chaperoning them. Believing that a private conversation would be good for both of them, Andromeda left them alone with a parting reminder to come into the main house for dinner in about an hour.

"What kind of stuff could you get in trouble for?" Harry asked, picturing the marauders getting away with an embarrassing prank against Headmaster Dumbledore.

Sirius opened his mouth, and hesitated. After some thought he spoke. "How about I tell half of this tale. The other half really isn't my secret to tell. You see, your father and I became animagi before we even took our OWLs."

"What's an animagi, and why would you get in trouble for being one?" Harry asked, listening intently to hearing something his father did that should have gotten him in trouble.

"An animagus is a wizard or witch that can transform into an animal at will." Sirius explained. "Being one isn't illegal, but not registering as one, that will land you in Azkaban for at least a few months. I think you can see why I don't want people knowing I'm an animagus. I can't go back there Harry."

Seeing the haunted look in his godfathers eyes, Harry understood the seriousness of the matter. He was amazed that this man he barely knew was willing to trust him so much. "Are you going to register then? That way it's not illegal right?"

Sirius sighed. "Frankly I'm afraid to register. I will just as soon as I'm sure that they won't arrest me for waiting this long to do it."

"I won't tell anyone, I promise." Harry said immediately. "Um, if you don't mind, what do you turn into?"

"Remember our marauder nicknames? We called your dad Prongs because he was a stag, he had great big antlers out to here." Sirius said while stretching his arms wide. "Me, I'm a great big dog. That's why I'm Padfoot. Would you like to see?"

"Can I?" Harry nodded eagerly.

Sirius stood, then seemed to almost melt into the form of a huge black dog. Padfoot lolled his tongue out, making it seem like he was sporting a goofy grin. Leaning back on his hind legs, his form melted again, and was replaced by the wizard once more.

"You said my dad was an animagus, that means I could be one too right?" Harry asked eagerly. "Dora said I can't be a metamorphy thingie, but I can be an animagus right?"

For some reason, the request surprised Sirius. "Sure, I guess I could help you learn. I think anyone can do it, but most people don't bother because it's a lot of hard work. It took James and I three years before we managed it. You also don't get to choose your form."

"Still, I think it would be just brilliant. I really want to try." Harry said, not dissuaded.

"Alright, but if we do this you have to do everything I tell you, and never experiment without me. Things can go horribly wrong with a failed animagus transformation." He said completely seriously. "If you're certain, we can work on the theory a bit during your holiday."

Once Harry agreed to follow his godfather's animagus instructions to the letter, the pair shifted to less serious, but just as important matters. They spent the remainder of their time before dinner just getting to know each other.


	14. Christmas day

Authors Note: Over one hundred reviews and story followers! Considering this is my first story, I think that's pretty darn good. With over nine thousand views, I'm pretty happy.

Well, Draco's not having a very happy Christmas at all. At least thing are much more cheerful at Tonks' Cottage. A last glimpse at those two households, and then next chapter it's back to Hogwarts.

As always, thank you for reading, and I'm extra thankful for those of you who leave reviews. Reviews of any kind are encouraged and welcome. Like the story? Let me know. Find a mistake? Tell me, and I'll fix it. Hate something I've written? Let me know what you dislike. Feel like sending a flame? It's getting colder where I live anyway.

-o-o-

Chapter 14

Christmas day

-o-o-

Christmas morning was a novel experience for both Harry and Dudley. Much like his first morning at the Tonks home, Harry woke up expecting to cook breakfast. Dudley woke at the same time, and both entered the kitchen to find breakfast already laid out. Ted and Sirius were having a cuppa over the remains of their meals.

"Go on, eat up. No need to wait on everyone else today." Ted said cheerfully after draining his cup. "Andy's having a bit of a lie in, and who knows when Dora will wake."

Sirius made a show of checking the time. "Oh I'd say right about... Now."

A muffled shriek came from Dora's room, followed by swearing, then silence. Sirius calmly sipped his tea with a giant grin.

Ten minutes later, after the boys had gotten well into their own meals, Dora stepped out of her room fully dressed. She calmly walked over to the table and sat next to Harry.

"I didn't do it I swear!" Harry said quickly. "I don't even know what happened."

"Oh I know exactly who's responsible." Dora said as she began eating, still perfectly calm.

Sirius' grin faded as he eyed his younger cousin suspiciously. "You seem awfully composed for someone who just..."

"I remember you visiting when I was little. Besides, mum told me all about you." She interrupted. Then she formed her own grin, hers had a predatory feel to it. "She also told me how she used to keep you from pranking her."

"Oh." Sirius uttered as he paled slightly. "You know it's all in good fun right? I mean there's no need to go quite that far."

"Don't worry, I'll save that for when you really deserve it." She said as she poured herself some tea. "Anyway, I already set my revenge in motion."

"Well it's nice to see the Nymphy I remember still has her sense of humor. I look forward to seeing your retaliation." Sirius said regaining his color and his smile.

Dora frowned, and in a flash sent a spell soaring across the table and into Sirius, knocking him back and onto the ground. "My name is Tonks!" She cried vehemently. "I'll accept Dora when mum is around." She added as a concession.

Harry and Dudley both started laughing, and Ted had an amused smile on his face as Sirius stood up and took stock of what had happened. He found himself wearing a frilly pink dress instead of his robes. What he couldn't see, was that his hair had been braided into pigtails with pink and white ribbons. His face was covered with over the top make up as well. The whole effect gave the impression of a little girl who had gotten into her mothers makeup.

"I did warn you about that." Ted chuckled as he summoned a mirror for Sirius to use.

Taking the mirror and looking himself over more closely, Sirius nodded in appreciation of the spellwork. "Fair enough." He then righted his chair, sat back down, and poured himself a fresh cup of tea as if nothing had happened.

This set the boys off into gales of raucous laughter.

"I suppose it was foolish of me to think I could sleep in much on Christmas morning." Andromeda said as she walked over to the breakfast table. "Really Sirius, if you're going to wear makeup, you should learn to apply it better." She added, sitting next to her husband and beginning her own meal.

-o-o-

"In a way this is fortunate." Lucius said while pondering. "Had your father not laid down his expectations for Draco, we may not have had our eyes opened to his inadequacies. Now that we know, we can fix the issues before they become ingrained."

"Do you really have to go so far?" Narcissa asked carefully.

"I would not have to if the boy could control himself." He said bluntly. "Control of the house of Black is far too important to hand over to a filthy blood traitor. Draco must prove himself more able than your uncouth cousin. The boy's leadership skills should be more potent. When I was his age I had all of my own year under my thumb, and half of the other Slytherins up to third year as well." Lucius said as he took a cup of tea from the tray his house elf Dobby presented him. By the following year, as I'm sure you remember, only the NEWT students disregarded my wishes."

Taking her own tea from the tray, Narcissa tried to argue her point. "Draco isn't like you dear, he is his own wizard. You said yourself that you are pleased with his influence over most of his year group."

"It is now abundantly clear that Draco is not like me." Lucius looked down at his cup, and decided he wanted something stronger. Throwing the full cup through the air over Dobby's head, he ordered the elf to bring him cognac instead.

The small servant ran skittering across the floor to catch the cup before it shattered, all the while ignoring the burning tea that had splashed across his face. After vanishing the spilled tea, Dobby disappeared with a small pop. Seconds later he reappeared with a similar pop, and handed his master a snifter filled with the dark liquor.

Sipping the French brandy, Lucius continued. "I never cried out once when my own father disciplined me. Of course the few times I displeased the Dark Lord, I could not help but cry out in pain." He admitted. "However, I do not presume to have his power."

"Lucius I..." She started.

"I wonder if it is your fault the boy is so weak. You've coddled him too much, and now he is lacking." He drained his glass in one go as he stood up. "Dobby!" Lucius casually tossed it at the elf who appeared just in time to awkwardly catch it. "I'm headed to my study. I expect the bottle and a clean glass to be there before I arrive." Before walking away, he addressed both his wife and his elf. "Draco is not to be helped in any way. He will learn to use the memory of pain to better himself, much like I did." He then walked off before Narcissa could reply.

She sat there alone for hours, trying to figure out what had happened, where things went wrong, and how she could help her baby without endangering them both. The calm facade that Lucius normally used to mask his feelings, was breaking under the pressure of molding Draco in his image while under a time limit.

Narcissa knew her husband could be cruel and ruthless, but in the past it had always just been directed toward muggles, half-breeds, and blood traitors. All lesser beings that didn't matter. She was having difficulty with the realization that he was just as willing to inflict such cruelty upon his own family, his own flesh and blood.

-o-o-

Dora's spell had worn off, and Sirius along with the others sat around the Christmas tree. Both Harry and Dudley were speechless for entirely different reasons, that interestingly enough, on the surface seemed the same. Harry could not believe the number of presents he had. He hoped to get one, maybe even two, but there were over a dozen. On the other hand, Dudley could not believe the number of presents he had. There were hardly more than a dozen. He was used to getting scores of presents, and this seemed like getting nothing at all.

Fighting the urge to complain, Dudley noticed his cousin, and the expression on Harry's face. He'd forgotten the way his parents had treated Harry on Christmas day. The sick feeling returned to his stomach that he'd begun to associate with his own past treatment of his cousin. This also made him remember how he'd decided to leave everything about his parents behind him. If that meant getting less gifts then so be it.

One of the first gifts that Harry unwrapped was from Sirius, a plain brown book without a title. Opening the book revealed that all of the pages were blank. "Thanks for the diary Sirius." Harry said, even though he had no real desire to have one.

"Oh that's not a diary. I'll tell you what it is later, but for now don't write in it." Sirius said with a small chuckle. He then drew attention away from the book by addressing the other Gryffindor in the room. "Hey Dudley, why don't you open that big one. It came by muggle post. Is it from your girlfriend, you know, the one you bravely rescued?"

Dudley was already looking over that particular present, and wasn't quite paying attention. "No it's from her parents... Wait, no, she's not my girlfriend."

"You sure? I always see you two together." Harry pointed out, enjoying that the idea was making his cousin uncomfortable.

"Yeah, sure, but Neville's always with us too." Dudley defended himself. "You're not going to try and say he's my boyfriend are you?"

Laughing, Harry said, "No. I wouldn't, but Draco might. Sound like the sort of thing he'd say if he thought he'd get a rise out of you. Who cares about all that though, open it up."

The gift turned out to be an assortment of various candies and chocolates from around the world. On top of everything was a short note from Hermione's parents.

 _Dear Dudley,_

 _Words can't express how thankful we are that you saved our Hermione. You put your own life at risk to save someone whom you didn't really even know, and beyond that reached out and befriended her as well. We owe you a debt that may never be repaid. If there is ever anything that we can do for you, don't hesitate to ask._

 _Dan and Emma Granger_

 _P.S. As dentists, we normally don't allow Hermione to have sweets, but feel free to share with her. Just don't let her know she has our permission. Candy is sweeter when you're not allowed to have it. -Emma_

Feeling uncomfortable, Dudley jammed the note into his pocket. "Just says thanks for, you know, the troll thing."

Having already thoroughly chastened Dudley in regards to the troll incident, nobody commented. Sirius in particular showed unusual tact by drawing attention from Dudley and opening one of his own presents. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a pile of shimmering fabric with a note on top.

 _Sirius,_

 _I had thought this would be an opportune time to return this artifact to the Potter family. I believe receiving it from you will hold more significance, than anonymously gifted like I had originally planned._

 _A.P.W.B.D._

"Merlin's beard, I'd forgotten James had let him borrow this." Sirius half whispered to himself as he too pocketed the note. Leaving the gift mostly wrapped, he handed it to his godson. "This actually belongs to you Harry. It's a family heirloom that has been passed down through so many generations, nobody remembers where it came from originally. If I knew James at all, he'd want you to have it while you're at Hogwarts."

Harry pulled the scintillating silver cloth free of its wrapping, and held it in the air trying to figure out what it was. Dora and her mother gasped, though for different reasons.

"That's an invisibility cloak!" Dora cried out enthusiastically. "Just think of the fun you could have with that."

"I don't doubt for a moment that his father would have given him that for his eleventh birthday." Andromeda said with a hint of disapproval, then turned her gaze to Sirius. "That he had such a thing certainly explains how your band of mischief makers got away with so much."

Sirius smiled completely unrepentant. "Go on Harry, try it out."

Harry draped the cloak over his arm, and both he and Dudley were amazed as the cloak and his arm vanished completely. "Wow, that is so cool." Harry said, and Dudley could only nod his head in agreement.

Everyone continued to open their own presents, while commenting or admiring what others received. By the end, after the adults vanished the discarded wrapping paper, everyone disbanded to put away what they had been gifted.

Dudley had accumulated a large amount of magical sweets from various people including Lavender and Parvati. He promised Andromeda that he wouldn't eat them too quickly. He was enjoying being relatively in shape, and didn't want to change that. Neville had sent him a quill charmed to be self inking and ever-sharp. Along with the quill, he sent a pot of ink charmed to turn red when it was used to spell a word incorrectly. Neville pointed out that he probably wouldn't be allowed to use the ink on any tests, but it should help with homework. Hermione sent him a book on basic potions tips and techniques. He wasn't too thrilled with getting a book, but considering how much the girl seemed to like them herself, he figured he'd better not complain.

Harry also got some candy and chocolates, but not as much as Dudley. Most of the sweets he did get came from Tracey, who apparently wanted everyone else to wind up as hyper as she liked to be in the safety of the common room. Daphne sent a voucher good for two galleons worth of merchandise from Flourish and Blots. Blaise gave him a copy of the Pure-blood Directory, with a note saying regardless of his beliefs the information within was important to know, especially since he was a Slytherin. What surprised and pleased him most was a single muggle photograph of a couple posing behind a little girl. Written on the back of the photo in handwriting he didn't recognize was: _Lily with her mum and dad._ The picture had come in a simple parchment envelope with no clue as to who sent it.

-o-o-

Disillusioned, Narcissa looked in on her son. Draco was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. He hadn't moved much since Lucius had disciplined him again after dinner on Christmas Eve. His presents remained underneath the tree in their family room untouched.

She felt so impotent. She could not convince her husband to change his mind about Draco's 'lessons.' She could not even help her poor sweet child after the fact, or both of them would wind up under Lucius' wand. All she could do was watch, and it ate her up inside. She had briefly entertained the idea of forcing the elf to give Draco something for the pain, but Dobby belonged to the Malfoy family, and Lucius was head. He had already ordered the elf to do nothing for her baby, so no matter how she phrased it, their servant could not help.

Draco could tell his mother was watching him again. Her disillusionment charm was flawless, but it was very quiet, and he could hear her breathing. He was sure if he turned to check, there would be a few dark circles on the floor showing where she was standing. Tears, pathetic. He wished she would just go away, but right now he hurt too much to tell her off.

Father was right of course, he had made too many mistakes. This was his punishment, and he accepted that. He hated that he couldn't help the screams, but at least he never once cried. He would weather this, then he would return to school stronger. He would make his father proud. He would not let his temper control him again.

-o-o-

Harry accompanied Sirius as he walked to his cabin. On the way, Sirius started to explain what the blank book he gifted actually was.

"We learned early on that it was never a good idea to write anything important down that wasn't protected in some way. Remus wanted to write everything in code, but the rest of us shot that down as too time consuming. I wanted to jinx whatever it was so that people would learn not to touch our stuff. It was probably a good thing that they didn't like that either. Your dad came up with the best idea, and all of us worked out how to do it together." Sirius explained, while Harry tried to figure out what this had to do with a blank book.

Suddenly an idea struck Harry. "You made an invisible ink that only shows up when you do something special."

Sirius looked at Harry, impressed. "Not bad, that was pretty much James' idea. It didn't quite work out that way, but the concept is the same. See, we enchanted the parchment itself. It's surprising how many charms and then runes we wound up using to get it just right. Ultimately we wound up with a way to have the ink appear or disappear with code phrases. There's a lot more to it than that, but we can get into that stuff later." He said as they reached the cabin.

Grasping the doorknob, Sirius finished up his explanation. "That book was my journal when we were becoming animagi. I figured you would like to read it. There's still plenty of room, so you can add your own notes too. To make the ink visible, touch it with your wand and say, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' When you're done, use your wand again and say, 'Mischief managed.'"

Finished, Sirius turned the knob and walked straight into the door that had not opened. Biting back a swear, he checked his nose to make sure it wasn't broken. Harry couldn't help but snort at the sight of his godfather bouncing back off of the door.

"I'll have you know that hurt." Sirius said with all the dignity he could muster while gently rubbing his nose. He tried the door again, this time without walking forward. While the knob would turn, the door would only open a hair before stopping completely. Smelling a prank, he motioned Harry to back up as he cast a switching spell. The door hinges and stops relocated, allowing him to open the door outward.

The doorway wouldn't open in because it was blocked by a massive snow drift on the inside of the cabin. Sirius stared at it for a moment, and then posed dramatically. "Of course you realize, this means war!" He turned to his confused godson. "Little Nymphadora needs to be taken down a peg or two. I think I saw her with your cousin building a snow-wizard around front. We retaliate with a snowball fight!" He grabbed a handful from inside his cabin, and held aloft his weapon of choice.

-o-o-

"Couldn't you do this with magic instead?" Dudley said as he finished rolling a large ball of snow.

Dora took the large snowball, and placed it on top of their snowman, giving it a head. "Sure, but this way is more fun, trust me." She said, and then held up one of her dad's old hats to top off their creation.

Suddenly the hat was torn from her hands by a speeding snowball. Registering that she was under attack, Dora dove behind the snowman. Dudley looked to see where the projectile had come from, only to have a snowball explode on his forehead.

Soon Dudley was hunched behind a snowbank that Dora had quickly erected with a couple quick swipes of her wand. The two defenders were quickly forming snowballs and sending them back toward Sirius who was attacking from behind a low fence.

Dora used her wand to create piles of ammunition for herself and Dudley. She would banish them toward Sirius, while Dudley was forced to do it the muggle way. Soon Sirius was pinned down, unable to overcome two on one.

Dora levitated a group of three snowballs, and was about to fling them toward her prankster cousin, when something caught her attention. Instead, she flicked her wand to the side sending the trio of snowballs careening toward nothing.

A muffled cry was heard as Dora's snowball barrage exploded mid-air. Diving for cover of his own, Harry tore of his new invisibility cloak. Soon a stalemate was reached, as Sirius and Dora held each other in check, while neither Dudley or Harry could turn the tide one way or the other.

Before any of the four combatants could form a decent plan, all four found themselves pelted with snowballs from above. Andromeda and Ted stood on the roof smiling as they rained snowy doom upon the others.

-o-o-

"I don't get it, I thought I was invisible. How did you know I was there?" Harry asked as he sipped his hot chocolate.

Dora blew on her own chocolaty beverage. "You were invisible." She pointed at his feet. "Your footprints, not so much."

"That was awesome!" Dudley exclaimed, waiving his hands for emphasis. "We woulda won for sure if Ted and Andy didn't cheat."

"I admit, I wasn't expecting them to complicate matters." Sirius said, setting a mug in front of Dudley, and taking one for himself. "I also wasn't expecting you to be that good, I've seen aurors with slower reflexes." He added, staring at Dora.

"I am entering the force, so I have to be good." She said without a hint of false modesty. "Last I knew there was a rumor that Mad-Eye himself was interested in mentoring me personally."

Sirius whistled. "Well, that just might explain how you've gotten me pretty good today. Although if I wasn't rusty from my long, let's call it a vacation, I'd have made a much better showing."

"Why's he named Mad-Eye?" Dudley asked with interest.

"Cause he's got this crazy looking enchanted eye that is constantly spinning every which way." Dora explained.

Sirius shook his head. "Nope, he got that nickname way before he lost his real eye. He's always had a wild look in the one eye, especially when he'd question someone. It's almost lucky that's the eye he lost, otherwise he'd look twice as creepy."

She gave him a funny look. "I can't tell if you're putting me on or not. I guess it really doesn't matter. One thing for sure, I'm not gonna ask Mad-Eye about it."

"Probably wise." Sirius nodded sagely. Then he drained his mug and stood up. "Whelp, I'd better defrost my cabin."

"Serves you right for this morning." Dora said darkly.

With a roguish grin he said, "I regret nothing." Then he turned and walked off, twirling his wand between his fingers.

"What did he do anyway?" Harry asked. Dudley was also pretty curious.

"He... You know what, never you mind what he did." She said with finality.

-o-o-

Sooner than the children would have liked, the holiday drew to a close. Much to Harry's disappointment, Andromeda confiscated his invisibility cloak. Sulking, Harry went to see if his godfather could change her mind, or at least commiserate with him.

Sirius did not seem willing to go to bat for Harry. "Sorry pup, but there's nothing I can do. She's your legal guardian, what she says goes."

"But maybe you could get her to give it back?" Harry begged. "She might listen to you, right?"

Laughing, Sirius shot that idea down right away. "Andy's last name might be Tonks, but she's a Black through and through. Granted she was disowned for marrying Ted, but that's not important right now. My point is this: Black women never change their mind when they're sure that they're right." He patted Harry's shoulder gently. "Maybe she'll let you bring it next year."

Harry sighed. Disappointed he resigned himself to the terrible fate of having something cool, but not being able to play with it. "Okay, I'd better go finish packing. At least I can bring your old journal."

"That's the spirit. Cheer up and look on the bright side." Sirius said with a grin, and a light punch to the shoulder. "Just practice those meditation techniques whenever you can. I found right before bed works best. That way nobody can tell you aren't just trying to sleep, and if you do fall asleep it won't matter."

"Right." Harry agreed. "And I'll read all your notes too."

"Just reading it is fine, but remember, do not try to do anything beyond meditation." Sirius warned with a firm voice. "It is way too dangerous without supervision. We got lucky. Trying to figure it out on our own was stupid and reckless." Humor returned to his features as he added, "If you're going to be reckless and stupid, do it in some other way. Preferably ending with a great story to tell."

-o-o-

"I couldn't help but notice you blushing a little when you read that note. The one that came with the gift from that girl's parents. Is there something you want to tell me? Should I give you dating advice?" Ted teased as Dudley worked on packing for the train ride back to school.

Glaring at Ted, Dudley quickly denied any such thing. "I just was embarrassed because they're treating me like a hero. Everyone else was real upset about what I did."

"Ah, I think I see. It's not that we don't think what you did was heroic. We just were scared to find out you were willing to run headfirst into danger. We want you to be smarter about doing the right thing, that's all." Ted carefully explained. "The girl's parents on the other hand, must be so thankful that their daughter is alright, that they don't care about anything beyond the fact that you rescued her. I imagine I'd be the same way in their position."

"That makes sense." Dudley said, relieved that Ted had dropped the topic of dating.

"Of course, you are her knight in shining armor you know. I wouldn't be surprised if she's got a crush on you." Ted said off hand, enjoying the teasing too much to stop entirely.

Dudley looked at Ted with a flat, unhappy stare. "Don't care, not interested in that rubbish. Besides, Hermione doesn't have a crush on me." He held up the potions book she gave him. "See, all she cares about is books."

Holding his hands up in mock surrender, Ted gave in. "Alright, I'll leave you alone." Walking away, he thought to himself that he'd bet galleons to knuts that Hermione did have a crush. On the same line of thinking, he seriously doubted Dudley was interested, but teasing him was fun. Then he started debating the wisdom of getting his daughter in on the teasing.

-o-o-

"Nymphadora, can we talk for a minute." Andromeda asked as she appeared in her daughter's doorway.

Dora Twitched slightly upon hearing her first name, but held her tongue. "Sure mum, what do you need?"

Andromeda stepped into the giant mess her daughter called a room, and closed the door behind her. Then she cast a silencing charm.

"Um, what's going on?" Dora asked with a look of confusion clear on her face.

"I have to maintain the image of a respectable guardian." Andromeda said as she held out a silvery mass of fabric. "Officially, I had to forbid Harry from bringing this to school."

Dora shook her head with an amused grin. "Let me guess, unofficially you think he should have it anyway." She looked at her mother speculatively. "You want me to pretend to have filched it from you, and give it to him later don't you."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." Andromeda said unconvincingly as she let the cloak slide out of her hand, and onto the floor. "It certainly sounds like something you'd do though."

"Where was this mum when I was getting grounded left and right growing up?" Dora asked, slightly put out.

Andromeda gave her daughter a questioning look. "Do you honestly think you actually got away with all of the things I didn't punish you for?"

"Oh come on mum, you expect me to believe that you decided to only punish me half the time?" She scoffed.

"Please Nymphadora, give you mother more credit than that. I only punished you when I felt you needed to learn a lesson." Andromeda said with a smile. "Besides if I recall correctly, I believe I caught and punished you only one out of three times you broke the rules."

Before lifting the silencing charm and leaving, Andromeda added, "Mothers have special powers that allow us to know what our children are getting into. You'll learn all about it some day." She paused halfway through the door. "Just make sure you're married first okay?"

"Mum!" Dora nearly screamed in outrage.

"What? I want grandchildren, but I want their parents to be married first. Is that so much to ask?" Andromeda moved away before her daughter could make the decision to hex her or not. Nymphadora had issues with dating, and she didn't want her daughter to give up entirely. Hopefully if she nudged her enough she would try to find a nice wizard.

-o-o-

For the train ride back to Hogwarts, Harry and Dudley decided to try sharing a compartment. Both Neville and Hermione were willing to join them, but none of Harry's friends were interested in sitting with Gryffindors.

"I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but how come you're different from the other Slytherins?" Hermione asked. "They always act standoffish, rude, and some are downright mean. Except for you it's like the whole house is made up of bullies"

"From our point of view you guys are the bullies. Gryffindors are just as rude and mean to us, and you all act like you're better than we are." Harry rebuked her claim. "The only reason you think I'm different, is because I'm willing to give some of you a chance. To be honest, if Dudley wasn't a Gryffindor I wouldn't come anywhere near any of you."

Hermione looked stricken. "I guess there are a few bad eggs, but Gryffindors are much nicer that Slytherins. Most of you are so cold."

Not wanting a fight to break out, Dudley tried to interrupt. "Come on guys. We aren't even back at school yet. Besides, I think you're both right."

Hermione and Harry both looked at Dudley as though he were nuts. Before either one could speak up, Neville timidly added his two cents.

"Dudley's right. My gran told me that since Slytherins have such a bad reputation, they're treated poorly by the other houses. She said they tend to stick together, and don't often make friends with the other houses." Seeing that the others were paying attention to what he was saying, and not brushing his opinion aside, Neville pushed forward with more confidence. "As for us Gryffindors. Um, Hermione? If we're supposed to be so friendly, then why were you crying in the bathroom on Halloween?" Afraid he went a little too far with that last comment, he added a quick, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Hermione's eyes widened as she realized Neville was right. Reminded of the incident with the troll, Hermione paled slightly. "Don't be sorry Neville, you're right." She stood up and grabbed a bag filled with magazines that she'd carried on. "I'm sorry Harry, I should have known better. I think I'll go see how Lavender and Parvati are doing."

Seeing the embarrassed blush coloring her face, none of the boys tried to stop her.

"Um, sorry Dudley. I guess me sitting with you was a bad idea." Harry said, feeling embarrassed that he was the reason Dudley's friend had left.

"She'll be okay." Dudley assured his cousin. "She probably was going to go see them at some point anyway."

"It's probably for the best anyway." Neville added. "She needs someone to make her see she isn't always right. Dudley and I usually don't know enough to do it ourselves."

They sat in awkward silence for a minute, until Dudley pulled out a deck of exploding snap cards that Dora had given him for Christmas.

-o-o-

"Draco, do you think you could help Goyle 'n' me with our potions essay." Crabbe asked, oblivious to what Draco's stony expression could mean.

Draco looked at the two idiots he'd been saddled with. His eyes then passed over the other two occupants of the compartment, Nott and Zabini. "Nott, you're doing almost as well as I am in class. Make sure these two don't fail."

"Why should I?" Nott demanded, not liking the idea of working with Slytherin's worst students.

Saying nothing, Draco narrowed his eyes and stared into Nott's.

Theodore shifted uncomfortably under Draco's gaze. "Alright alright, I'll take care of it." He gave in. "Come on you two. Grab your stuff, and we'll find an empty compartment."

After the three other boys had left, Blaise gave Draco an appraising look. "More lessons on how to lead men?"

"Something like that, yes." Draco said, his grey eyes as hard and cold as ice. "You will keep me up to date on Potter." It wasn't a request, it wasn't even an order. Draco merely said it as though it couldn't be anything other than plain fact.

Keeping his own emotionless facade, Blaise tried to figure out the drastic change in the Malfoy heir. "Of course." Agreeing cost him nothing, and if he decided later on to withhold information, then he'd deal with it later. Regardless, this was going to be a long train ride, and Blaise was regretting not sitting with Greengrass and Davis.

-o-o-

Authors Note: Forget dangerous creatures or dark wizards. I'm starting to think doors are the greatest threat so far. First Dudley and Hermione, now Sirius. I wonder who'll be next?

To NatNicole reviewing chapter 13: Yeah, it's kind of hard for Sirius to mistake Harry for James while he's wearing Slytherin robes, not to mention they have wildly different personalities. It forces them to form a new relationship, as opposed to building off of the friendship James and Sirius had.

I cannot comment on the rest of your review on the grounds that it may give things away. That and I haven't gotten far enough in the story to do so anyway. Keep reading, and we'll find out together.


	15. Back to school

Author's note: Sorry this chapter took so long. The holiday season and other aspects of real life have teamed up to slow down my writing.

As always, thank you for reading. Leave a review after reading to let me know how I'm doing. Every review is appreciated. Positive ones make me smile, negative ones make me think, and comments give me ideas.

There is a request for suggestions in the author's note at the end of the chapter. I'd love to read your input.

-o-o-

Chapter 15

Back to school.

-o-o-

Bidding goodbye to Dudley and Neville, Harry went off to find his friends as soon as the train stopped in Hogsmeade. He first found Blaise, or rather Blaise found him.

"Potter! There you are." Blaise exclaimed. The normally collected boy looked to be at wits end.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked. "You look awful."

"Never mind that." He said while rushing Harry toward the waiting carriages. "Hurry up. I can't be stuck with Malfoy for a minute longer."

"Oh, has your impressive patience worn through?" Daphne asked with what passed for amusement as she joined the two boys. "Don't worry, I sent Tracey on ahead to save us a carriage. I suppose we can allow you two the honor of joining us."

Looking ahead to see the Slytherin girl in question blocking the entrance to an empty carriage, Blaise increased his pace. "Wonderful. Let's go."

Daphne watched Blaise all but run on ahead. Then she turned to Harry, confusion evident in her eyes. "What on earth happened to him?"

Harry shrugged. "Draco happened, but I don't know the details yet. Did you have a good holiday?"

Daphne shuddered almost imperceptibly. "It was fine, until I got a letter from Malfoy."

Looking at her sympathetically, Harry asked, "Do I even want to know?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Daphne decided to tell Harry. After all, she had already vented at him earlier in the year. "You know about that damnable betrothal I have to deal with right?" Receiving a nod as agreement, she continued. "Even though we aren't married, and may never be, he seems to think it's his right to order me around. He's laid out a list of demands."

"What kinds of demands? He's not trying to force you to kiss him is he?" Harry asked, concerned for his friend.

She looked at him, wondering if he was joking or not. "No, he wants me to support him as a proper wife should. The arse is going to be pushing for more influence, and I'm to help him. He even flat out forbade me from talking to you unless required in class."

"Me?" He didn't understand.

"Yes. He thinks he can control me, and wants to ensure that I don't help you in any way." She explained.

They reached the carriage where Blaise and Tracey were waiting impatiently. As they stepped into the carriage, Harry asked a last question. "I don't get it, why does helping me matter at all? It's not like my grades affect his or anything."

"You really don't know?" Daphne sighed, and turned to Blaise. "Can you explain it to him why Malfoy wants to isolate Potter here? I don't think I can use words small enough."

"Hey!" Harry objected as Tracey giggled in amusement.

Visibly more relaxed, Blaise reminded Harry of the opening feast. "Remember what Draco said back then? You are the Boy-Who-Lived. That alone gives you tremendous influence. Had you been taking advantage of it all year, by this point only the children of Death Eaters wouldn't be following you."

"Death Eaters, those were the wizards that followed Vold..." Harry started.

"Don't say his name." Blaise interrupted. "Call him the Dark Lord, or You-Know-Who, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"Right, sorry." Harry rolled his eyes. "Death Eaters were followers of the wanker who killed my parents right? How many have kids here?"

"What, not going to ask about the influence you wield?" Daphne asked.

Harry shook his head. "I might be new to all of this, but I'm not stupid. I get what you're talking about. I never thought about it before, but there are two power blocks in our year. Draco's gang has Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Parkinson. Daphne, Tracey, and I form the other one. Blaise, you're sitting on the fence, or playing both sides. I can't tell which yet. Finally, Bulstrode hasn't picked a side yet."

Blaise looked impressed. "Not bad, but I'd define my position more as keeping my options open. Also, I wasn't just talking about our year group. You and Draco may only be first years, but you both have the potential to be running Slytherin in the next few years."

"Exactly." Daphne agreed. "You probably should be working on that. Unless of course you want our house run by Death Eater families."

"Which brings me back to my question, which kids have Death Eater parents?" Harry asked once again.

Daphne began counting off names on her fingers. "There's the Malfoys of course."

Harry held up his hand to stop Daphne, and rubbed his forehead as if in pain. "Draco's family worked for the dark bastard? Didn't anybody think I might possibly want to know that?"

"It's kind of common knowledge Harry." Tracey said. "Draco's dad and a bunch of other Death Eaters claimed to be under the Imperius curse. That's the only reason they aren't in Azkaban."

Harry fixed Tracey with a flat stare. "I was raised by muggles. I haven't even known that I'm a wizard for a whole year yet." He looked at each of his friends in turn. "If you don't know for sure that I know something, it's pretty safe to assume that I don't know it, even if it's common knowledge."

"Sorry." Tracey apologized, and both Daphne and Blaise added their own apologies. "You don't really act like a muggleborn or anything, so it's easy to forget."

"It's okay, I need to work on gathering information anyway. I'm in Slytherin, so I need to act like it." Harry admitted. "Okay, Malfoys are Death Eaters, who else?"

Daphne began counting off names again. "There's the Goyles, the Crabbes, the Notts, the Selwyns, the Rosiers, and the Gibbons."

"There's also the Avery's and the Rowles." Blaise added. "There are probably more, I think only He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named knew who they all were.

"Great, one of our prefects has a Death Eater Family." Harry said with disgust. "I had to wind up in the house filled with Death Eaters."

"There are other some in the other houses too, just more in Slytherin." Blaise pointed out.

"Okay, okay. I get why you guys think I have to be the one to oppose Draco, but why didn't any of you point this stuff out before?" Harry looked around expectantly.

Blaise and Dahpne gave him a pointed look, and Tracey explained holding back a laugh. "You and Malfoy were friends. Nobody knew if you two would work together, or change each others viewpoints, or what would happen. Now that you two are fighting, it's much simpler."

Harry crossed his arms and pouted. "Everything is politics here isn't it. I had hoped you guys were just my friends. I'm not sure I like that you're only hanging out with me because I'm better than Draco."

Before the carriage even came to a stop, Harry hopped out, and made his way to the castle.

Daphne, Tracey, and Blaise looked at each other. "That could have gone better." Blaise pointed out.

"I'm not sure what just happened." Tracey said with a worried look.

-o-o-

On their way to Gryffindor tower, Dudley and Neville met up with a slightly frazzled Hermione. "I like Lavender and Parvati well enough, but I'll never understand their obsession with fashion and all that stuff." She said as she fell into step with her friends. "I thought they'd look through those stupid magazines, and talk about them for half the ride tops. They still haven't stopped talking about the different kinds of underwear muggles have!"

The two boys snickered, which seemed to upset Hermione further. "It's not funny." She pouted, not understanding why her supposed friends were laughing at her misfortune.

"Underwear?" Dudley asked with a chuckle.

A light of understanding shone in Hermione's eyes. "Honestly you two. Yes underwear... Stop laughing!" Glad they weren't laughing at her, she was still miffed that they were giggling like primary school children. "Ugh. Fine! I give up! I'll see you guys tomorrow." Frustrated, she left them behind to head straight for the girl's dorm. Hopefully she could try and get some peace and quiet in her room before Lavender and Parvati arrived.

"I don't get it. Underwear is underwear, what's there to talk about anyway?" Neville asked with amusement.

Dudley shrugged. "I have no idea, but it had to be funny no matter what they were saying. I don't get why Hermione's mad."

Hidden from view by a group of taller fourth years, the two fashion conscious girls had overheard the entire exchange. With a shared look and a nod, they silently agreed on what they would do, and walked up behind the two chuckling boys.

"What do you guys think? Lavender thinks this looks really uncomfortable, but I'm not so sure." Parvati asked as she held up a magazine to show Dudley and Neville.

Neville turned around first, and confronted with a picture of a practically naked woman wearing lacy lingerie, turned bright red and darted away. Dudley had little time to wonder what happened to Neville, before he got an eyeful as well. Accompanied by Lavender's laughter, and a smug look on Parvati's face, Dudley saw the same underwear model that had embarrassed Neville so thoroughly, and his eyes widened.

Three thoughts ran through Dudley's head in a split second.

One: 'Isn't that the same magizine I bought off of Piers?'

Two: 'I should tell them they should try it out themselves, and offer to judge who looks better.'

Three: 'I really, really shouldn't ever let them know I just thought that.'

Deciding Neville had the right idea, he bolted. Peals of laughter followed him as he tried to catch up to his friend.

-o-o-

Harry glumly walked through the lower halls of Hogwarts, heading toward the Hufflepuff common room in a roundabout way. Occasionally he would swing his foot forward, as if kicking an imaginary can.

"What have I told you about being so gloomy?" A voice that Harry recognized as Dora asked. "Keep it up, and I'll have to make you smile."

Harry looked behind him to see an empty hallway. His head whipped around, searching for where Dora could be hiding. Seeing nothing but the cold stones of the caste itself, Harry drew his wand. Just because it sounded like Dora didn't mean it was her, and Harry was not about to let himself be taken unaware once more.

An unseen force grabbed his wand hand and pointed the tool off to the side. Then Dora's head appeared from thin air and said, "Boo!"

"Ahhh!" Harry cried out as he stumbled backward. His wand fell to the floor with a clatter as Dora revealed herself completely by taking off his invisibility cloak.

Unable to contain herself, she doubled over laughing. "You should see the look on your face! Beautiful, just beautiful." She said pointing at his prone form while clutching the silvery cloak in her other hand.

Forgoing his wand he lunged at her, and began tickling while she wasn't paying attention. Caught off guard, Dora didn't have time to draw her own wand, and was forced to defend herself in kind. Their different ages and sizes soon resulted in Harry pinned face down on the ground with Dora sitting on him casually. "I give, I give! Let me up." Harry pleaded.

"Alright, here you go." She said as she stood up, and helped him to his feet. "These belong to you I believe." She added as she handed him his wand and cloak.

"How?" Harry simply asked as he reverently took his father's cloak.

She gave him a wink, and smiled as she exaggerated a shrug. "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies." Growing more serious, she asked him the question that had been bugging her while she had been stalking him under the cloak. "What has you so upset already anyway? We just got back to school, you shouldn't be sick of it until at least next Tuesday."

Becoming sullen, he opened up. "All of my friends are only friends with me because I'm the Boy-Who-Lived. They want me to use my fame to gain control of our house politically. Is it too much to ask for a real friend for once?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Aw squirt, it can't be that bad." She said with sympathy. "So they have a hidden reason to be friends with you. So what? That doesn't mean that they aren't your real friends. You'll see."

After chatting away with Dora, Harry felt better and headed toward the hidden Slytherin common room. Smiling broadly, his mind raced with possibilities as he felt the bulge of his cloak tucked safely away in his robes.

-o-o-

Lavender and Parvati apologized to Hermione for being a little too enthusiastic about muggle clothes. She forgave them quickly, especially when they explained how they had sent Dudley and Neville running.

Coming down to the common room the following day, Hermione sat down across from the two boys. "Parvati tells me you guys were really interested in one of the magazines I gave them." She said while fighting back a smile. "If you want, I'll see if I can owl my parents to send me another couple copies for you. Do you know which magazine it was?" She asked innocently only to lose her composure, and giggle when Neville blushed furiously.

"Come on Neville, we talked about this last night." Dudley pleaded. "It was just an underwear ad. It's not like you could see anything. Boys shouldn't blush like that, it's embarrassing."

Letting out a final giggle, Hermione stopped, letting the matter drop. She tactfully switched topics, and began asking about their holidays. "It's frustrating not being able to tell the rest of my family that I'm a witch, but I still had a great time visiting my grandparents this year. Did you guys do anything fun?"

Neville shook his head. "Everyone is so old in my family. I don't really have have much fun when we all get together. Don't get me wrong. I mean, I get plenty of presents and stuff, and I love them, but it's just kind of lonely without any other kids. When I get older I'll be expected to start going to Christmas balls too, but that sounds even more boring."

Dudley and Hermione were both sympathetic. Not enjoying the winter holiday was almost unimaginable to them.

"What about you Dudley, did you like your first magical Christmas?" Hermione asked, shifting the attention from Neville.

Grinning broadly, Dudley related his adventures over the winter break. He enthusiastically gave them a slightly embellished account of the snowball fight.

"We had Harry and his godfather pinned down." He said waving his hands to mimic hurling snowballs while Neville and Hermione listened with interest. "A few more seconds, and we would have broken through their defenses! Suddenly we heard laughing, and all of us looked up. Ted and Andy were standing on the roof! They cast some spell I didn't know, and all of the snow on the roof came flying at all four of us." He frantically moved his arms through the air to simulate being buried by several feet of snow. "I managed to dig my way out, and Dora followed. We ran away as fast as we could, but I stopped and pulled Harry out of the giant pile of snow he'd been buried under."

Of course what really happened, was Dora grabbed him, and they ran away from the house toward Harry. With snowballs landing all around them, Dudley did grab Harry, and the three of them retreated to a safe distance. Though there was no danger of being buried alive, the snowball storm from the Tonkses was pretty fierce.

"What happened to Mister Black?" Hermione asked. Having been saved by Dudley herself, she was more than willing to believe in his fabricated heroics.

"He got himself out just fine. I think anyway. We all met back up inside for hot chocolate so we could all warm up." Dudley recalled.

This was entirely true, at least as far as they knew. They were too busy trying to evade the charmed snowballs that were sent after them; they never even though about how Sirius was faring. Little did they know, but the snowballs had been charmed to chase them by Sirius himself. The older wizard wanted revenge for being left alone to face two to one odds. Andy and Ted went back inside as soon as the kids ran, but it was the principle of the matter.

Talking with Hermione reminded Dudley of the gift her parents had sent him. "Oh! Hang on guys, I'll be right back. I got a present that I was told I should share."

He returned quickly, carrying an assortment of muggle candies from around the globe. "Here, some of this stuff is real good." Dudley said as he spread out the confections.

Hermione's cheeks tinged red as she recognized the candies. She knew her parents had sent them out to someone for Christmas, but she didn't know who they were for until now. "Oh god. My parents didn't send you an embarrassing card or anything did they?"

"Huh? Oh! Um, no. Just that I should share." He said, carefully hiding his own embarrassment that he'd gotten from reading that note.

"Go on Neville, try some stuff. Muggle candy isn't as interesting as wizard candy, but it can be really delicious." Hermione encouraged the shy Gryffindor. "Thanks for offering Dudley, but I'm not allowed sweets."

"Who cares? Come on, live a little. It's not like you're gonna eat it every day." Dudley urged as he pressed a chocolate bar from Germany into her hands. "Your parents will never even know."

For a moment she was torn, but eventually she gave in. "Thank you Dudley." She said as she peeled away a corner of the wrapper.

-o-o-

February brought Quidditch back to the forefront of Harry's mind. Along with most of his house, he once more sat in the stands, this time watching Slytherin face Ravenclaw in the chilly winter air. The match was a surprisingly long one. Higgs managed to let the snitch slip through his fingers at the end, allowing the Ravenclaw seeker to nab it right under his nose. Fortunately by the time the snitch was caught, Slytherin was in the lead by 170 points, giving their team a narrow victory by only two goals.

"Wow, Flint is really mad. I can hear him yelling at Higgs from here." Tracey pointed out as they worked their way down from the stands. "You'd think he'd tone it down a bit. We did win after all."

"Yeah, but only because Flint and Pucey managed to make those last two goals while the seekers were chasing down the snitch." Harry said, keeping up with her as best he could.

Daphne had refused to come out to watch the game in such cold weather, leaving Harry alone with the hyperactive girl. It seemed Daphne's presence tamped down the worst of Tracey's exuberance. Blaise was no help, because he was currently with Draco. The dark skinned Slytherin was splitting his time between Harry and Draco. Harry didn't hold it against him, because he was upfront about Draco using him to spy on Harry. Considering Harry really didn't feel he had anything to hide yet, and that Blaise was willing to tell them what Draco was up to as well, Harry didn't care that Blaise was playing double agent. He seemed to be more Harry's friend than Draco's anyway.

Finally making it back to the castle, Harry and Tracey hurried toward the warmth of the common room with its roaring fire. Rubbing his arms and torso to warm up, Harry felt the bulge of fabric that was his invisibility cloak.

"Hey Tracey, hold up a second. I have an idea." He said with a mischievous grin.

-o-o-

Harry found Daphne lounging in front of the fire, enjoying one of the best seats while everyone else was watching the game. "Thank Merlin I found you. I don't know how you handle her, but I lost control of Tracey. Come on, maybe you can help me drag her back here."

Shooting up out of her seat, she glared at him. "You left her alone out there? What if some Gryffindors found her?"

"I know, that's why I'm grabbing you." He said in an exasperated tone. "She should still be okay, but I need your help.

Leading her out of the common room, Harry all but dragged Daphne down one of the lesser used corridors. "Come on, last I knew she was headed this way."

They approached a sleeping portrait of an extremely old witch, and Harry fought to hide a smile.

Suddenly Tracey appeared out of nowhere right next to Harry. "Gotcha!" She yelled.

Both Harry and Daphne cried out in surprise, and tumbled to the floor in a heap. Tracey stood there laughing at them while the portrait woke with a start, and began berating them. "Back in my day children were never allowed to fool around in the hallways. You should be ashamed of yourselves! Waking up sleeping portraits, and making such an uncouth disturbance.

Ignoring the complaining portrait, Harry got up first. "Tracey! You were supposed to wait right in front of the portrait, so you would only get Daphne, not me too." He staggered forward as he felt a dainty hand smack him upside the head.

"I was worried about her you prat," Daphne scolded, having gotten up while Harry wasn't looking. "and since when do you own an invisibility cloak Tracey?"

"First, it's my cloak." Harry said while rubbing his head. "Second, why are you just yelling at me? Tracey was the one to scare you."

"I wasn't scared. I was just startled, that's all." Daphne said with her hands on her hips. "I expect this sort of thing from Tracey. I didn't expect you to be a prankster."

Taking back his cloak from the smiling Tracey, Harry stuck his tongue out. "Remind me to show you some stuff from the album my godfather gave me. My dad and his friends were some of the biggest pranksters this school has ever seen."

"That was so much fun!" Tracey said as she finally stopped laughing. "We have to do something like this again. Maybe get Zabinini? I bet his scaredy face would be hilarious."

Harry was about to agree, but grew thoughtful. "No, I'm not sure I want many people knowing I have this thing. I trust you two. I think Blaise is on my side, but I really don't want to risk Draco finding out."

Daphne looked at Harry appraisingly with a slight grin. "Not bad Potter. You had a bit of a late start, but you're getting the hang of this game now."

-o-o-

Sirius was enjoying dinner with his cousin and her husband, as was usual since he'd moved into the spatially distorted cabin out back. What wasn't so usual was the serious look on Andromeda's face.

"Is something wrong Andy?" Sirius asked. "I swear I haven't pulled any pranks lately, so if that's the problem, blame Ted."

Ted laughed. "We've been married too long for that. Even if I wanted to do something, she'd see right through me." Looking at his wife, then back at Sirius, he shrugged. "I don't know exactly what's going on, but I do know she's been researching something that involves you."

"Yes, I have. Sirius, don't you think it's past time you start working on fulfilling my father's requirements?" She held up a small piece of parchment containing Cygnus' demands. "I know Lucius has been riding Draco hard to complete them all as soon as possible."

Sirius looked surprised. "Really? I have thought about it, and I figured there was still plenty of time. After all the limit is five years after his death, and he's still breathing right?"

She glared at him. "Yes, but that's not the point. If you take your time, then Draco will inherit and become the head of the Black family."

"Let him have it then. I only figured I'd have to step up because the little snot was incapable. If Lucy can manage to whip him into shape, then why should I bother at all?" Sirius swept his hand around in a smooth motion. "This is the only family that matters to me. The Black line can hang for all I care. If Draco becomes head, then neither one of us becomes a squib. Problem solved, and I don't have to degrade myself."

Ted winced, and for a split second Sirius wondered why.

Andromeda slammed her palm down on the table causing dishes to clatter, and goblets to fall and break. "You never got it did you? You couldn't see past the evil woman your mother was. The Black family is more than just pure-blood supremacy. Beyond that, it has a rich history, and being a Black means something. Even disowned like I am, the mere mention that I was a Black has opened doors for me my entire life. Dammit Sirius I want my family back!" She stood and jabbed a finger into his chest. "You are the only chance I have!"

Ted stood in an attempt to calm his wife, but she shot a cold glare his way that caused him to slump back into his seat. Sirius was on his own here.

Sirius opened his mouth to defend himself, but he too was silenced in the face of an incensed Andromeda.

"You don't like how dark the family is? Then change it! You can be head. You can be the leader of one of the most politically powerful families in Magical Britain. The power you are so casually dismissing is staggering." No longer screaming, her voice was low and intense. "If you can just endure a few simple requests, then you can change whatever you want once you're head."

Seeing his chance, Ted stood again. "Alright dear, I think you've made your point." He looked at Sirius while he gently rubbed his wife's back. "Why don't we all calm down a bit, and meet back here in an hour or so?"

"Yeah..." Sirius croaked, then cleared his throat. "Um, I'll just go think for while in my cabin okay?"

-o-o-

Quirrell slammed an old tome shut in frustration. It was as if someone had tried to remove every reference of a giant three headed dog. He had found a few tantalizing hints, but nothing particularly useful. He'd practically torn the restricted section of the library apart, and all he had to show for it was a drawing with a brief caption.

 _The Cerberus_

 _Little is known about this fearsome beast, save that it is highly resistant to all forms of magic. It is rumored to be used as a guardian due to its resistance to even the vile killing curse._

Considering the drawing was found in a copy of an ancient scroll that predated the founding of Magical Britain, it was woefully out of date; however it did let him know that simply killing the beast was out of the question. His master of course could have done so, but Quirrell wasn't powerful enough to overcome a magically resistant creature.

There was no help for it. He would just have to somehow trick the giant halfbreed into revealing how to subdue the creature. The brutish oaf had a fondness for all manner of dangerous creatures. Perhaps he could use that, along with enormous amounts of alcohol, to wrench the secret from the fool.

-o-o-

A calmed Andromeda sat on the couch with her husband sitting next to her rubbing small circles on her back. Sirius sat across from them them in a comfortable chair looking thoughtful.

"I'm sorry Andy. I never realized getting disowned hurt you so much." Sirius apologized while running his fingers through his hair. "I mean, I wasn't happy about it when I was kicked out, but I never wanted back in." He sighed and folded his hands in his lap. "If you think it's important enough, I'll try."

"Thank you Sirius." She pulled out the list of requirements once more. "I can help you with your public image, and also with your leadership skills. Financial matters are not my forte unfortunately."

Sirius shook his head. "Don't worry about that. James' dad made sure to give us both lessons on managing wealth. If I wasn't stuck in Azkaban for the past ten years, then by now I'd have at least tripled the gold Uncle Alphard gave me. If I work on it, brushing up on my leadership skills shouldn't be too hard either." He gave a lopsided smile sheepishly. "We all know that I'll need help controlling my emotions though."

Ted cleared his throat. "While all that is well and good, you do have a distinct advantage over Draco considering he is only eleven. The only area he has the advantage over you is the betrothal issue. Lucius has already taken care of that for him."

Sirius grumbled. "Yeah, that's the one that really gets me. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I can get any witch I want." He frowned as Andromeda laughed at his confidence. "I could! I was quite the ladies man." Shaking his head, he got back to the point. "Anyway, how am I supposed to find a pure-blood witch willing to marry me? Anyone I'd be interested in wouldn't like the requirements, and anyone who didn't care about the requirements, I probably wouldn't like. I mean, only pure-blood bigots still do betrothal contracts anymore."

Smiling, Andromeda produced a tightly rolled parchment. "I've already got a list of suitable witches. Just because I didn't follow Black betrothal customs doesn't mean I don't know them inside and out. We can go over the list and eliminate a few that you aren't willing to try. Then we'll set up introductory dates for you to get to know the rest. Finally we'll set up more intimate dates with the ones you think have potential so that you can make a decision."

-o-o-

In an amusing coincidence, that night both Harry and Dudley carefully pulled out reading material they wanted to keep hidden from everyone else. Mirroring each other unknowingly, they made sure that the privacy curtains were shut.

Harry opened a seemingly blank journal, touched his wand to the parchment, and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Words filled the pages, and he softly said, "Lumos." Harry began to eagerly read the notes his godfather has written down by the soft glow of an underpowered light charm.

Dudley quietly opened a muggle combination lock that kept a simple wooden box shut tight. Double checking that everyone else was asleep, he cast his own weak light. He then pulled out a magazine, and confirmed his suspicion from the first day back. He did own that particular magazine. 'Who'd have guessed.' He thought as he silently flipped through the old catalog.

-o-o-

Author's note: I have a few possibilities for Sirius' bridal candidates, but if anyone has an idea I'll consider it. If nothing else, more possibilities will fill out Andromeda's list. Remember, she has to be a pure-blood to fulfill Cygnus' requirement. If one witch gets enough support, I may use her instead of the one I have in mind. No promises though.

To NatNicole reviewing chapter 14: All I will say, is that Draco will not be the same person he was in canon.


	16. Worst blind date ever!

Author's note: Here we go. A little humor, and a little drama to bring us ever closer to the end of the first year.

This chapter is a perfect example of how comments in reviews can inspire me. I'm not entirely certain if that's a good thing or not, you tell me.

I've started up another story, so I'll be dividing my time between the two. Leave a review to let me know how I'm doing. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'll likely pay more attention to the story that gets more reviews.

-o-o-

Chapter 16

Worst blind date ever!

-o-o-

Gryffindor lost their match against Hufflepuff, and the whole house was subdued. Wood was an excellent keeper and captain, the girls were fine chasers who got better with every game, and the twins were growing into top-notch beaters. Unfortunately Mclaggen was just awful.

The young seeker insisted that it wasn't his fault, and refused to accept pointers from the rest of the team. Wood was sorely tempted to cut Mclaggen from the team, but there was nobody better to take his place. It really wasn't that Mclaggen was bad, it's just that he would get overconfident, and make stupid mistakes that would cost him the snitch.

The morose Weasley twins made their way through the common room. They planned on heading down to the kitchens where the Hogwarts house elves would fix them up something tasty to help cheer people up, when something caught Fred's eye. Two first year girls were hunched over several copies of Witch Weekly, and a bunch of magazines that looked muggle. George noticed where his brother was looking, and snagged one of the muggle magazines.

"You ickle firsties don't mind us borrowing this for a minute do you?" George said, it wasn't really a question.

"We'll bring it right back, honest." Fred added.

Before Lavender or Parvati could object, the twins disappeared up the stairs to the boy's dorms.

-o-o-

To construct her list, Andromeda had sent out notice through the usual channels that Sirius was looking for a wife. The number of responses she got was quite large. Considering he was in the running to be head of the Black family, she was not surprised. To make it easier for Sirius to narrow down his choices, she listed all of the interested witches with their pertinent details.

"Andy, why are there so many children on this list? Merlin's beard, this one is eight!" Sirius set down the scroll, and glared at Andromeda. "I am not marrying anyone under the age of twenty five."

"Relax Sirius. I didn't bother culling any of them yet." She defended herself. "Those must all be offers made by parents hoping to gain a powerful political ally. I'd think less of you if you didn't toss them aside right off the bat."

He ran down the list, crossing out each witch who was too young. "Alright, now this is more realistic. I even know a few of the witches left. Where do we go from here?"

"Normally we'd go through each offer in detail, and decide which ones you'd be most interested in. I suppose you could just work your way through the list if you'd rather." She gestured toward a large stack of parchment envelopes.

He looked between the envelopes and his list. "I guess I'm probably a little rusty when it comes to dating. Why don't I just start by setting up a date with a random witch from the list. I can get back into the game without worrying about blowing it." He fully unrolled the parchment, closed his eyes, and randomly jabbed his finger down onto the page. "Dolores Umbridge, hmm Dolores is a nice name. Do you know anything about her?"

Andromeda shook her head. "No, not really. All I know is she's got a high ranking ministry job."

"Okay." He nodded absently while composing a letter to set up an introductory date. "Well, you're more knowledgeable about this stuff than I am. Could you go through the remaining witches, and get an idea of who they are? I trust you, and to be honest you're more invested in this than I am."

Despite the glare she sent his way, she agreed. "Oh alright. Of course you really should be more concerned. After all, the goal here is to find you a wife. Ideally you'll be spending the rest of your life with one of these women."

Sirius grumbled as he sealed his letter addressed to Dolores Umbridge, and sent it out with the Tonks family owl, a young tawny owl named Speckle.

-o-o-

"I thought I told you to stay away from Potter. It's bad enough you somehow turned him against me. I won't have you undermining my authority." Draco hissed as he finally cornered Daphne in the common room. Most everyone else had left to watch Gryffindor lose. Daphne wasn't interested, and wanted to enjoy the best seat by the fire while she could. Unfortunately, Draco took advantage of the empty room, and caught her before she even got close.

Refusing to show that she was nervous, Daphne stood tall, and regarded Draco with an icy gaze. "First, you have no say in anything I choose to do or not do. Second, I didn't have to do anything to turn Potter against you. You managed that all by yourself. Finally, what authority? You're the son of a Death Eater that had enough money to buy his freedom. The only people who'll listen to you have Death Eater parents telling them to." With each word she grew more confident, until she realized Draco wasn't backing down, or getting flustered like he normally would.

His eyes as cold and grey as a tombstone, he growled in a low menacing voice. "You are my betrothed, you or your little sister. Either way, you would do well to remember your place, and do what I say."

Her confidence vanished in the face of his new found steely resolve. Suddenly afraid, she took a step back, only to find herself against the wall. "I'm not afraid of you." She lied, barely managing to maintain her proud demeanor.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Then maybe I need to show you your place." He raised his hand, and prepared to beat some respect into his future wife.

Unable to stop herself, Daphne cringed, and tried to brace for the impending blow. Only it never came. For some reason, Draco's hand was shaking in midair, as if it was being held back by some unseen force. Then Draco spun around, and after a solid -thunk,- fell to the ground, blood flowing freely from his clearly broken nose. The avenue for escape opened, she bolted.

She ran without direction. The only thought in her head, was that of escape. After taking so many turns that she didn't even know where she was, she searched wildly with her eyes, and quickly ducked into an empty classroom when she was sure there was no one to see where she was hiding.

Crawling under a table, Daphne hugged her knees tight, and began to sob quietly. She rocked back and forth while keeping her eyes glued to the door, terrified that Draco would find her. Then the door slowly opened, and her heart sank.

An odd shimmer in the air was followed by Harry taking off his invisibility cloak. He carefully closed the door behind him, and tucked the cloak into his robes. "Daphne? Daphne are you here?" He whispered.

"Harry?" She spoke softly, but loud enough that he turned and saw her huddled beneath a table.

He knelt down in front of her, and she flung herself into him. Crying uncontrollably, she held on to him for dear life, and soaked his robes with her tears. Harry had no idea what to do with the suddenly fragile little girl as she buried her face into his chest.

-o-o-

Andromeda sat at a table with piles of parchment around her. She was in the hall of records at the ministry, pouring over the public records of the witches on Sirius' list. She figure she would start with Deloris Umbridge because Sirius was already out meeting with her.

At first glance every record seemed to show Madam Umbridge as an exemplary ministry worker who rose through the ranks by way of hard work, dedication, and talent. By chance, Andromeda noticed two different sheets side by side had contradicting information. Curious, she took a second more careful look and began noticing discrepancies. She couldn't be certain, but it appeared that Madam Umbridge had elevated her position through bribery, and possibly even blackmail. Character faults aside, there was one thing she discovered that outright disqualified Madam Umbridge. Dolores Jane Umbridge was not the pure-blood she claimed to be. Apparently her mother was a muggle.

Setting aside the files on Umbridge, Andromeda hoped that Sirius didn't like the woman. She was not looking forward to letting him know that Dolores was a half-blood if he came home smitten.

Sighing, she grabbed the next file and continued her research, this time a Desideria Zabini.

-o-o-

For the third time this date, Sirius nearly threw up. The creature before him was trying to look... alluring? Either that, or she was having a stroke and would soon pass out. Merlin help him, but Sirius hoped fervently for the latter to be true. The date started bad, and it was getting worse by the minute.

When he arrived at the Golden Dragon, a rather upscale restaurant in Diagon alley, he fought back bile for the first time that day. Dolores Umbridge was hideous. There was no nice way to put it. She was a short, squat, ugly witch, who strongly resembled a toad that had been engorged and stuffed into robes. Her robes did nothing to help her appearance either. They were sickeningly pink, not trimmed with pink, not accented with pink, but completely and entirely pink.

He wanted nothing more than to run away screaming, but he knew he had to tough it out. If he offended her, then word would get around, and he would find the stack of offers he received rescinded one by one.

Steeling himself, he offered his arm, and they made their way to their reserved table.

"You're such a gentleman." She said in a sickeningly saccharine voice that made him wince. Luckily she was sitting down in the chair he held for her, and was facing the other direction.

Put off from eating entirely, Sirius wound up surreptitiously vanishing bits and pieces of his meal, with his wand carefully hidden under the table.

When the conversation came to the topic of children, it brought forth images that almost made him vomit for the second time. He excused himself to the restroom, to allow himself the chance to gather his resolve. Just a little longer, and he could leave without offending.

Now the meal was finally over, and Umbridge seemed to be offering herself for dessert. Using every ounce of will he had to not lose his breakfast, he respectfully ended the date with the promise of a follow up letter, as was customary.

As Sirius walked away, Umbridge wondered what went wrong. The amount of amortentia she'd put in his food should have made a eunuch declare his undying love. That was the last time she bought anything from that particular store in Knockturn alley. Perhaps she should send an anonymous tip to the DMLE about what exactly they stored in the back room.

-o-o-

Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati found themselves nervously waiting in McGonagall's office with Fred and George Weasley. The girls had no idea why they were there, and the twins whispering to each other and laughing quietly, did nothing to alleviate their fears.

Professor McGonagall strode into her office carrying a large stack of what seemed to be magazines. She dropped them onto her desk, and looked at the five children with pursed lips and a scowl. Each magazine was an identical copy of the lingerie catalog that Hermione has given to her roommates.

The twins hardly even acknowledged what was going on. Hermione was confused, but Lavender and Parvati both turned red with embarrassment.

"Would anyone care to explain?" The professor asked as she scanned the faces of her lions. "No? Then I will have to make assumptions. I confiscated this smut from Messrs Weasley, and several other boys. A student who shall remain nameless explained to me that they saw Miss Patil and Miss Brown with this trash earlier today. Considering you share a room with the muggleborn Miss Granger, I must assume that she supplied the clearly muggle pornography."

The three girls all started talking at once to defend themselves.

With a wave of her wand, McGonagall silenced the girls and continued. "I believe that for whatever reason, Miss Granger provided Misses Patil and Brown with this trash. Then Messrs Weasley obtained it somehow from Misses Patil and Brown. Ever the troublemakers, they brought the contraband in question to an upperclassman who duplicated it repeatedly in order to sell this smut to whomever they could."

"That sounds about right" George said.

"Absolutely, can't slip one by our head of house." Fred agreed.

"Of course that won't stop us from trying." George added.

"No, but..." Fred started

"Enough!" McGonagall thundered, silencing the twins as well. "I know your thoughts on the matter. Twenty points each from the both of you, and you'll be spending a weeks detention with Caretaker Filch."

She then lifted the silencing charm on the girls. "One at a time. Now then, Miss Patil what have you got to say for yourself?"

Shamefaced she looked at the floor as she spoke. "We just wanted to see the differences between muggle fashion and ours. We weren't thinking. We should have kept it up in our room." Lavender nodded in agreement, and also kept her eyes downcast.

"Very well. Lose ten points each for your lack of judgment." McGonagall said before locking eyes with Hermione. "Your excuse then Miss Granger?"

"I didn't know it would be a big deal." She sniffed, holding back tears that threatened to drown her eyes. "It's just an underwear catalog. It's not a big deal in the muggle world."

McGonagall was silent for a moment. "Considering your remorse, and your ignorance, I will be lenient. Understand this Miss Granger, I don't know how things work with muggles, but this is pornography, and has no place in a school. You've lost us twenty points, and be thankful I'm forgoing any detention."

-o-o-

Daphne had finally calmed down enough to talk. "I forgot you had that cloak. You saved me from Malfoy didn't you." She said while trembling slightly and hugging herself. She had let go of Harry, and they were both kneeling on the ground facing each other. "What did you do to him?"

Thoroughly embarrassed, Harry was thankful that there was very little light in the classroom, and she probably couldn't see how much he was blushing. "I hit him with my history book."

She laughed weakly a little before silence overcame both of them.

"Um, if you feel up to it, we should probably head to the infirmary." He suggested.

"No!" She all but shrieked. "Malfoy's probably there." She whispered, cursing how afraid she was.

Harry thought hard. His friend needed help. A calming draught, or maybe just someone to talk to. Then it hit him. "I have an idea. Let's go find my sis. We can go under my cloak, and she can keep you safe while I run and get Madam Pomfrey."

"Okay, but can you send her instead? I'll feel safer with you." She said, fighting to calm herself down.

After helping Daphne to her feet, Harry covered them both with the cloak, and led them toward the Hufflepuff common room.

Luck was with them, as they saw the metamorphmagus as she started ascending a staircase. Not seeing anyone else around, Harry called out. "Dora. Dora. Hey Sis! Wait for a second."

Dora looked around, and realized he must be under his cloak. "Squirt, if you're going to prank me back, you really shouldn't announce yourself." She said as she reached into her pocket and gripped her wand. "I've been dying to try out this new hex. Try anything now, and you won't be able to open your mouth without singing for a week."

Harry shed the cloak, but left Daphne hidden. "Dora this is serious. I need you to go get Madam Pomfrey. Draco Malfoy just attacked my friend, and I want to make sure she's okay.

The wary grin that had formed on Dora's face disappeared, and her expression turned stony. "Alright, but I can't make Madam Pomfrey leave the infirmary. With my record, let's just say she probably won't believe me. Here's what we'll do instead. Go and get your friend, and have her follow you under your cloak."

"She's already here, but she's worried that Draco will be there."

Dora looked around where Harry was standing in a futile effort to see a hint of the other student's presence. "Right, well... Uh, why would he be in the infirmary?"

Harry somehow managed to look ashamed, proud, and defiant all at the same time. "I smashed his face with my history book."

"That... that would do it." Dora was almost at a loss for words. She tried, but failed to picture Harry hitting anyone, let alone hard enough to send them to the nurse. "Okay. Your friend has nothing to worry about. We'll all go up to the infirmary, and I'll personally guarantee her safety."

Dora addressed the empty space where she guessed Harry's friend was hiding. "I promise that if Draco is there, I'll have Pomfrey knock him out, or I'll stun him myself. Okay?"

"Okay." Dora heard the nervous voice coming from nowhere near where she was looking.

-o-o-

That night, Andromeda come home to find Ted sitting alone by the fire. "Where's Sirius? Don't tell me he's spending the night with Madam Umbridge already."

Ted looked up from the book he was reading. "I doubt it. He talks a big game, but I'm sure he isn't that kind of wizard. Have you checked his cabin?"

"No not yet, I just got home." She set her bag down on the table, and pulled out her notes on the witches she managed to research on her lunch break. "I'll go see if he's there then."

Andromeda cast a warming charm on herself, and headed out to see if her cousin was home. He usually was in the main house when she got home from work, so she was idly wondering if something was wrong. As she reached for the doorknob, the thought of Sirius bringing Madam Umbridge back to his cabin ran through her mind. Hoping Ted was right about what kind of wizard Sirius was, she knocked loudly as she slowly opened the door.

Sirius was lounging in one of the comfortable chairs near his own fire. Upon seeing Andromeda enter, he raised a glass. "Andy! Come on over and, and have a little drink with me." His words were slurred, and the amber liquid in his glass sloshed around as he waved wildly for her to join him.

Swiftly walking over to where he sat, she noticed a nearly empty bottle of firewhiskey. "Sirius, I think you've had enough to drink already. May I ask why you've decided to try and pickle yourself?"

"Because... because I need to forget." He managed to say before downing what was left in his glass.

"Forget what?" She prompted. After waiting a moment, she tried again. "Sirius, what are you trying to forget."

"... I forgot."

"Alright, we're not getting anywhere with you so far gone." She turned to leave.

"Where are you goin' Andy?" He asked as he lifted an unopened bottle. "There's plenty here."

Not bothering to answer, she walked briskly back into the main house, and past her husband. She didn't stop until she reached Nymphadora's room, where she opened the door.

"What's going on Andy?" Ted asked, perplexed that his wife had all but stormed in and gone to their daughter's room of all places.

"Accio sobriety potion." She intoned with a flick of her wand. A phial flew through the air, and landed in her outstretched hand. "Sirius is as drunk as a lord."

"And our daughter has sobriety potions in her room why?" He asked, wanting to understand.

Patting her husband's cheek as she passed him again she answered. "So she can sober up quickly, and we'll never have a reason to look for the case of firewhiskey she stashed in there two summers ago." She left her confused husband behind as she all but ran to sober up her cousin.

-o-o-

"Are you okay Hermione?" Neville asked with concern. He and Dudley had noticed Hermione had sequestered herself in the corner of the common room.

Subdued, Hermione looked up at her friends. "No. I, I lost Griffindor twenty points..." There were tears forming in her eyes.

"Is that all?" Dudley asked rhetorically. "Ron says his brothers have been bragging about just setting a new record for them. They're saying they lost over eighty in one go."

She looked up incredulously. "They're proud?"

"I know. It's weird, but people aren't even all that mad. Because we've been doing so bad in quidditch, we're out of the running for the house cup anyway." Dudley explained.

"Some of the boys are saying that the Weasley twins got caught selling porn." Neville said quietly, nearly whispering.

"It's not porn!" Hermione hissed, then looked embarrassed from her outburst. "It's just a stupid clothes catalog." She folded her arms and pouted.

Dudley laughed. "I've talked with a bunch of people. Everyone who didn't grow up like a muggle doesn't see it that way." He leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially. "The only reason the twins got caught is because they sold one to a seventh year muggleborn. He didn't realize it was dirty either. He said he just wanted to buy his girlfriend some stuff for her birthday."

Neville turned bright red upon hearing that.

Dudley continued, unaware that his friend was changing color. "I think that's kind of weird, but whatever. He didn't bother hiding it, so McGonagall saw it, and yelled at him until he told her where it came from."

Now it was Hermione's turn to blush in embarrassment. "How was I supposed to know... Just a stupid..." She muttered.

"I still can't believe how different the muggle world is." Neville said, trying to suppress his blush. "You really wouldn't get into trouble looking at that magazine in a muggle school?"

Dudley looked a little sheepish. "Ah... no... you'd still get in trouble, but it wouldn't be a big deal. Well, not as much of one anyway." Dudley remembered the time he and Piers got caught with a similar magazine, and had only avoided their mothers being called, because they blamed it on Harry.

The three sat in an uncomfortable silence, until Hermione suggested they work on their Herbology essay. For once, neither boy objected in the slightest, eager to put the topic behind them.

-o-o-

Draco slumbered peacefully due to the sleep potion that Pomfrey had given him once Dora explained the situation. She gave Daphne a quick examination to ensure that she was physically fine, then told Daphne and Harry to wait in her office while they waited for their head of house. Dora had been volunteered to find the dour professor when Pomfrey couldn't reach him by floo. Shortly thereafter, Snape walked into the infirmary.

"I was brewing up your next batch of basic pain potions, when Miss Tonks insisted my presence was required." Snape said, his voice showing just how he felt about being summoned while brewing. "What is this about then?"

The matron looked at Snape, wholly unimpressed with his attitude. "Three of your students were involved in a physical altercation of some sort. I have yet to discover all of the details myself, save that Mister Malfoy has sustained a severely broken nose. The other two are in my office. You may speak with mister Malfoy tomorrow morning, once he's healed."

Opening the door to Pomfrey's office, the first thing Snape saw was Harry's face. Of course. It had to be him. 'He's not his father, not his father, he is not his father.' Snape chanted in his mind. Then he saw that Harry was trying to comfort Miss Greengrass. He looked completely out of his depth, but the boy was making an effort.

"I would like an explanation." Snape said in a calm manner. "Why is Mister Malfoy recovering from a broken nose?"

Gulping, Harry explained. "He tried to hit Daphne sir, so I hit him first." Daphne nodded in agreement, but did not say a word.

Not hearing anymore information, the professor prompted some elaboration. "And why is it that Mister Malfoy was trying to hit Miss Greengrass?"

Daphne remained silent, so Harry supplied the answer. "He said something about showing her her place." Snape's expression made Harry decide he should go further. "Um, he had her backed up against the common room wall, and raised his hand to hit her. I grabbed his hand, um, spun him around, and kind of hit him real hard..."

"Miss Greengrass, is this the truth?" She nodded in agreement again, but this time looked up just long enough for Snape to lock eyes with her. In an instant Snape relived the scene through her eyes. She was obviously being taught occlumency, but her skills were meager at best. Perhaps she was talented enough to be alerted to an intrusion, but he was far too skilled to be noticed by one of her ability.

Not allowing his face to express his disappointment and surprise, he merely said, "I see."

Harry started to speak again to defend his action, but Snape cut him off. "Mister Potter, wait outside the infirmary. I will talk with you in a moment."

Harry got up to leave, and hoped that Daphne would be alright. He'd been hit lots of times, but she seemed to be taking almost getting hit much worse for some reason.

"Now Mister Potter." Snape said sharply, and Harry swiftly left the room. Alone with Daphne, Snape sat down and tried his best to be gentle. "Miss Greengrass, there are... political reasons why I cannot help you directly; however, I am required to report this to someone who's hands are not tied. Rest assured that I will speak harshly with Mister Malfoy over this incident. Regardless, I suggest talking with Madam Pomfrey now, and not allowing yourself to be caught alone from here on out. "

"I understand sir." Daphne said softly. Head hung low, she never noticed the professor leave.

She knew there was very little hope for her situation. While the wizarding world in general did not discriminate based on sex, many of the older 'dark' families still held on to the belief that wives should bow to their husband's will. She had seen the actual contract between her family and the Malfoys, and she knew that Draco was given power over both her and Astoria, until one married him, and the other was freed. She had hoped that sheer force of will would allow her to maintain a measure of control, but something in Draco had changed, and it scared her. Tears ran down her face as she waited for Madam Pomfrey to return.

-o-o-

"Mister Potter, walk with me and listen." Snape said as he exited the infirmary. He full well expected his command to be followed, and did not bother looking to ensure Harry was following. "I detest when my snakes are at odds with one another, but I understand that the rift between yourself and Mister Malfoy is insurmountable." They walked in relative silence for a few minutes, the tapping of their shoes on the stones was the only sound. "Tell me Mister Potter, what is rule number two?"

"Slytherins watch out for each other. Which is what I was doing sir." Harry answered immediately.

Snape nodded. "Yes that is true, and the reason why I am not overly upset about your actions; however, the rule also states that outside of the common room, we are a united front. From now on you will not involve other houses in what is a strictly Slytherin matter. Not even Miss Tonks."

They reached Snape's office, and Snape opened the door, gesturing for Harry to enter.

"Sir, who can I trust?" Harry asked as Snape closed the door. "I just learned that many Slytherins have Death Eaters for parents, even at least one prefect. Other than you, who can I go to?"

Snape's careful control over his features broke for a moment, and he looked pained. "Mister Potter, Harry, the conversation we are having is not to be discussed with anyone else. Am I clear?"

Confused, Harry slowly nodded his agreement. "Yes sir."

"There are certain things you must know at this time." Snape closed his eyes and sighed. "First, the matter of Miss Greengrass. I know about the power struggle that is occurring in my house, and for political reasons, I cannot interfere. You are going to have to protect your allies yourself."

Snape's mouth curled into a sneer. "I hated your father, and I loathe your godfather. We were enemies while students here, and as much as I do not like admitting it, they were... capable opponents. I'm certain that if you asked, your godfather will supply you with the tools and knowledge to protect yourself and your allies. I know your father owned a cloak of invisibility. I suggest you see if you can obtain it. It can be extraordinarily useful in many ways."

Harry's eyes shot open wide. Snape knew about the cloak, did he know he had it already? He made a note to never use the cloak in a way that would cause Snape to confiscate it.

Snape continued, pretending to not notice Harry's revelation. "The second thing is that for the same political reasons, I cannot reveal to you whom you cannot trust." Again a look of pain flashed across Snape's features. "Before I tell you the final piece of vital information, I need you to promise me that before you do anything in relation to what I am about to reveal; you will listen to my explanation, and then confirm what I tell you with Headmaster Dumbledore."

Very confused, and now slightly worried, Harry agreed. "Yes sir, but I don't know where his office is."

"You can ask him at any meal, but his office is located in the gargoyle corridor. Approach the gargoyle and give it the password. Currently the password is 'chocolate frog.'" Snape explained. "The final thing you should know, is the reason why my hands are tied politically. You will not like it, but I give you my word that I am firmly on your side."

"Sir?"

Snape slowly drew back the sleeve on his left arm revealing a faded tattoo of a skull with a snake coming out if its mouth. "This is the dark mark. It is the brand that labels Death Eaters. I bitterly regret my past choices, and now I walk a dangerous line. In the war I acted as a spy, and did what I could to cause the downfall of the dark lord. I still perform a similar role to this day."

Harry paled, and backed away from Snape. Almost in a panic, he flung the door open, and ran to find the Headmaster, praying that Snape was playing a cruel prank on him. Why did the hat have to put him in Slytherin? The bloody head of house is a Death Eater!

-o-o-

"Now that you're no longer letting the firewhiskey talk for you, would you care to explain why you tried to drown yourself in alcohol?" Andromeda had her arms crossed, and was tapping her foot expectantly.

Sirius looked at the liquor bottle he was still holding. "At least it let me forget for a little while." He looked up at Andromeda, and simply said, "Bad date."

"Oh Sirius, please tell me you mean that you have no interest in Madam Umbridge." She said, hoping that was indeed his meaning.

Sirius looked at her with a raised brow. "Why?"

"While researching, I discovered that she is only claiming to be a pure-blood. She's actually a half-blood. She doesn't qualify, so I truly hope you have not gotten attached." Andromeda held her breath to watch her cousin's reaction.

"So, if I had looked into things just a little before jumping headfirst into a blind date, then I never would have gone on that date?" Sirius asked calmly, then hurled the nearly full bottle into the fire. The fire flared wildly, and shards of glass exploded out onto the floor. "That's it! Tomorrow you're showing me how to help look up information about these witches. I'm not going on another date until I've at least seen a bloody picture. I refuse to endure another horror like Umbridge!"

Blinking, Andromeda was stunned at her cousin's response. "Well, we can take care of that on my lunch break tomorrow." She said as soon as she processed everything. "Why don't we go have dinner now. It sounds like you had one heck of a date. You can tell Ted and I all about it, and we'll commiserate with you appropriately. We can even break out some decent wine so long as you don't try to crawl into the bottle again."

-o-o-

Author's Note: Nahmen, while possibly joking, brought up the possibility of Umbridge being on the list of eligible witches. I feel bad for Sirius, but I had to do it. Once the idea implanted itself, it had to be written. Nahmen, let me know if it was anything like you envisioned. Hopefully if not an epically failed date, it was at least a spectacularly failed one.


	17. Playtime's over

Author's note: I apologize about how long this chapter has taken, only to be a short one. I wrote myself into a corner, and have re-written and outright deleted scenes more than I care to admit. I think I have a better handle on the rest of year one, assuming my characters don't run the other way again. Hopefully there won't be as big of a delay until the next chapter, but I make no promises beyond the promise to continue.

As always, thank you for reading, and special thanks to those that take the time to review. Reviews, especially thought out ones, are inspirational. There have been several times that a review has given me ideas that I hadn't thought of before.

-o-o-

Chapter 17

Playtime's over

-o-o-

Out of breath, Harry came to a stop in front of a large stone gargoyle. He bent over while gasping for air, and could have sworn he heard the gargoyle chuckle at his expense. Once he had some control over his breathing again, Harry managed to say the password. "Chocolate frog."

The gargoyle moved to the side to allow Harry through to climb the revealed staircase. It wasn't until this point that Harry realized, the headmaster might not be in his office. Voices coming from behind the door put that fear to rest, but a new one rose to replace it. What if he was going to get into trouble for this? Professor Snape had said he could, and had even given him the password, but could he really trust a Death Eater?

Before he could work himself into a full blown panic attack, he heard one of the voices call out from inside. "Do come in Harry."

Harry carefully opened the door as he wondered if the headmaster could see through doors. Headmaster Dumbledore was sitting at an extraordinarily cluttered desk, and the giant groundskeeper was standing in front of it. The groundskeeper was facing the headmaster, but had turned to watch Harry as he entered the office.

Glancing back at Dumbledore, the enormous man bid him farewell. "I'll keep an eye on things as best I can sir, but somethin' has ta be done about it." He looked at Harry nervously. "Good ta see you again Harry."

"Again?" Harry asked. They had seen each other of course, but Harry didn't think he'd actually met the man.

"Oh... Err... Well, tha last time I..." The groundskeeper floundered for a bit until the headmaster came to his rescue.

"Hagrid here knew your parents Harry. He's likely recalling when you were only an infant." Dumbledore explained.

"Well, I'd best be off." Hagrid said nervously as he looked at Harry. "Got things that need doin'." As he walked off, Harry noticed him wipe some kind of silvery goop onto his overcoat.

"May I ask what has brought you to my office Harry?" Dumbledore asked kindly, drawing Harry's attention back to himself.

What Snape had told him came rushing back, and he blurted out his fears. "I'minahousefullofDeathEatersandevenSnapeisoneand..."

Dumbledore held out his hands, motioning for Harry to calm down. "Breathe Harry. Take a seat, slow down, calm yourself, and tell me what's wrong."

Harry closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Bringing himself back from the edge of a panic attack, he tried again. "Nobody ever told me that Slytherin was full of Death Eaters. I just found out, and got a little scared, but I thought I could handle it. I went to Professor Snape to find out who I could trust." Harry looked up right into Dumbledore's concerned eye's. "But he's a Death Eater too! I'm scared, and I don't know who to trust."

The twinkle that normally shone from the headmaster's eyes was absent. Once more Dumbledore felt his many years weighing down on him. He knew that eventually Harry would learn about Severus' past mistakes, but he had hoped it wouldn't come so soon. "Harry, I think it is time we had a talk. May I first ask how you know that Professor Snape was a Death Eater?"

Pulling his feet up onto the chair, and holding his knees tight, he stared at the floor. "He showed me his tattoo, and told me what it meant."

"I see." Dumbledore rolled up his sleeves and bared his forearms to Harry. "Take a look Harry. As you can see I have no such mark." Once Harry glanced up, he let his sleeves fall back into place. "Ever since Voldemort began his war on our society, I have done all that I thought necessary to counter him. I have made mistakes, far too many I have come to realize, but you can trust me."

"Why didn't you stop me from getting sorted into Slytherin?" Harry whispered softly. "I should've gone to Hufflepuff... I'd be safe there."

Dumbledore smiled gently, the slightest twinkle returning to his eyes. "I'll admit, I was as surprised as anyone that the hat placed you in Slytherin; however, it is not my place to sort anyone. That is the sorting hat's job. If it placed you in Slytherin, then it must have had a very good reason to do so."

The hat in question drew attention to itself. It rested high upon one of the many shelves in the office. "I stand by my decision. You would have been welcome in Hufflepuff. That much is true, but Slytherin can help you be truly great."

"You see?" The old wizard said as he reached for his candy bowl. "Oh my, where are my manners. Would you care for a toffee?" He held out the bowl filled with individually wrapped candies.

Harry shook his head, and remained withdrawn.

"No, very well." He unwrapped one for himself, and popped it into his mouth. "As for Professor Snape, I trust him implicitly, and so should you. He made a great mistake in his youth, and to this day he works toward atonement."

Seeing that Harry was not reassured, Dumbledore tried logic. "Look at it this way Harry. You had no idea about his status as a former Death Eater. What reason could he possibly have to tell you about it himself? Clearly he wants you to be able to trust him, and that means not hiding his unfortunate past."

Harry thought about that, but did not relax. "He would want me to trust him no matter what. Telling me himself means that nobody can use it against him later on. Doesn't mean he's a good guy."

Dumbledore blinked in surprise. That was entirely too much cynicism from a small boy. If only he were a nice trusting Gryffindor, or even a Hufflepuff. How could he prove that Severus was trustworthy to such a jaded youth? Of course! "Harry, do you know what an unbreakable vow is?"

"A promise that you have to keep?" He guessed.

"Not exactly, it is possible to break such a vow, but it would be at the cost of your own life." Dumbledore said seriously.

Harry's eyes widened in understanding. "He made a promise like that?"

"Indeed he has." The headmaster nodded gravely. "Years ago he offered to make an unbreakable vow that he would do whatever it took to stop Voldemort; however, I feared such a vow was too dangerous. Professor Snape was to be my spy in his former master's ranks. He would have been revealed as a traitor were he to act on every opportunity to defeat Voldemort."

"What promise did he make?" Harry asked with interest as he unfolded himself, and leaned forward.

Glad that Harry was relaxing his fears, Dumbledore's eye's twinkled as he continued. "Professor Snape owed you father a life debt. Since your parents were killed, that debt passed to you, and he made an unbreakable vow to protect you. The exact wording of the vow was a little more complicated, but that was the basic meaning."

"So if he ever tried to hurt me... He'd die?"

"There is a bit of wiggle room, after all he is your professor. He has to be able to discipline you." Dumbledore admitted. "But yes, if he were to ever attempt to intentionally hurt you, he would perish."

-o-o-

Draco awoke to find himself in the infirmary. His godfather was staring at him, looking thoroughly unamused. Yesterday's events flooded to the forefront of his mind, and he immediately went into damage control mode.

"Professor, I was attacked!" Draco pretended that he was adding a twinge of fear, but if he was being honest, the fear was real. The memory of fighting with... nothing, and having his nose broken by... nobody, it worried him. Still, he couldn't admit that he got beat up by thin air; instead, he did what came natural and lied. "Greengrass ambushed me. I couldn't see who was helping her, but I'll bet it was Potter and Davis."

"Do you have proof?" Snape asked, knowing that Draco did not.

"No, they attacked me from behind. I didn't see them at all." This wasn't right, uncle Snape was supposed to just take his side.

"Unfortunately, without proof my hands are tied. The headmaster is keeping a close eye on Potter. Any discipline I apply is likely to be investigated on some level." Snape locked his gaze with Draco. "If you are certain, then I shall trust you. If you are mistaken, I will likely be punished in some fashion. If my pay is docked over a false accusation... I will not be pleased."

Draco looked away from Snape, and confirmed that the infirmary was vacant."Then what am I supposed to do?" He hissed bitterly. "I was in the middle of showing Greengrass her place. I can't let this go! Father expects me to gain control before the end of the school year."

"Surely your father understands that Potter will not be controllable." Snape said in a soothing tone.

Draco shut his eyes tightly. He refused to cry. Why couldn't his father be as understanding as Uncle Snape? Steeling himself, and loathing his own weakness, he turned an emotionless gaze back to his godfather. "He has given that concession, but I need Greengrass and Davis under my thumb. Potter is making that... difficult. Bulstrode won't be an issue, but those two aren't listening to reason."

Snape couldn't help but agree in the depth of his mind. If Potter had never been sorted into his house, Draco would have likely gained control over all of the first year Slytherins before Halloween. Without a viable alternative, Greengrass and Davis would have towed the line just to keep themselves safe. With Potter... Harry as a rallying point, the girls were making a stand.

Closing his eyes, Snape wondered how much simpler life would be if he was employed elsewhere. Were it not for Dumbledore, Snape would never have become a teacher. He would much rather spend his days plumbing the depths of the unknown in the art of potion making. If he didn't have to deal with snot-nosed brats, then he was certain he'd have been published several times over for wondrous discoveries in his chosen field. Instead he had to play politics and damage control, while children pretended to wield the power that their parents had.

After a few seconds contemplation, Snape stood. "I will speak with your father. Trying to gain influence over those girls is all but completely futile. For the time being, extend your influence to those in their second year. I will make him understand the situation you have found yourself in."

He cared for Draco. He truly did, but Lucius was warping his son into a little monster. If only that filthy mutt was still in Azkaban, then this whole Black inheritance would be a non-issue. Once again he cursed his lot in life as he walked away from his godson.

-o-o-

Harry managed to avoid Snape, so that he could wrap his mind around what Headmaster Dumbledore had told him. It wasn't altogether too difficult since Professor Snape took a very hands off approach to being head of Slytherin. As far as he could tell, Snape only regularly dealt with his prefects.

He thought about going to Dora for advice, but he decided against it. Dora was increasingly busy studying for her NEWTs, and while she would no doubt drop everything to help him, he didn't want her grades to suffer because of him. There was another reason Harry didn't want to burden Dora with this issue. Dora would be graduating this year, and he would no longer be able to run to her. He had to learn to deal with problems on his own. He would have to endure enemies in his own house for the rest of his school days, so he felt he needed to handle this himself.

Now that he was mostly sure that Professor Snape wasn't one of those enemies, he could think clear enough. He had enemies, that would never change. Instead of dwelling on that, he decided to do what his friends hoped, and build a power base. If he gathered enough allies, then not only would he be safe, but so would his friends.

Friday finally came, and with it potions. Harry could no longer keep his distance, and it was time to confront his professor. Class dragged on, and Harry grew increasingly nervous. At last Harry walked up to Professor Snape's desk to drop off his completed potion.

"Sir, I had some questions about this week's potion." Harry said as he set down his phial.

Snape looked up at him, and noticed the pleading look in his eyes. "I thought I was perfectly clear in my description of the potion and its effects. If you insist on wasting my time, then stay after class, and we shall waste yours as well."

Once again, Harry found himself watching as each student brought up their own phials. The seconds slowly passed by, and Harry carefully reviewed what he was going to ask.

As the last student walked out the door, Snape closed and locked it with a negligent wave of his wand. Casting a spell to ensure privacy, he turned to Harry. "I gather you wish to discuss my... past loyalties?"

"No sir." Harry said as he pulled out a piece of parchment. "Headmaster Dumbledore told me about your vow. I just want to know who I can trust. I figure you're most likely to know everyone that I can't trust."

"I told you before, I cannot reveal that information." Snape looked genuinely regretful. "My hands are tied, and asking me to write the information as opposed to telling you won't help." He added, pushing away the parchment that Harry had placed in front of him.

Harry looked only a little disappointed. It would have been nice if it were that easy, but he wasn't counting on it. "Can you write down how I can find out for myself?" He asked hopefully.

Snape blinked. Once again he was reminded how Harry was not merely a smaller version of his father. This was something Lily might have thought up. "Five points to Slytherin Mister Potter, for displaying cunning worthy of your house."

Pulling the paper back to him, he began to write. If Harry 'discovered' on his own who had Death Eater ties, then Snape would not be suspected as the source.

-o-o-

Sirius Black was a talented wizard, one might even call him gifted in some ways. This did not mean he excelled in all things. No, instead he only mastered that which interested him. His skill in transfiguration and charms were astounding, and this translated well into his talent for dueling. Other subjects eluded him, as they could not hold his attention. For example, only under the best circumstances could he brew an acceptable potion.

Research in general was a failing of his. Back in his Hogwarts days, he would often rely on the efforts of his good friend and fellow Marauder Remus Lupin. Without his friend's help, it would have been a miracle for him to pass any of his OWLs, regardless of his practical talents. That's not to say he was useless in a library, merely that the subject had to truly mean something to him for him to put in the effort.

Andromeda knew her cousin wasn't much of a scholar. A little corner of her mind attributed it to his Gryffindor background, but she kept that to herself. Thus she was utterly amazed, when after only a few minutes to show him how to find the right public records, Sirius appeared every bit the Ravenclaw that he wasn't. He even went so far as to insist they go over every witch that Andromeda had already checked, just in case.

Before Andromeda's lunch break ended, they had managed to eliminate several more witches. Desideria Zabini, much like Dolores Umbridge had looked wonderful at first glance. In her favor, she was a well established pure-blood witch, who was independently wealthy. Her wealth showed it unlikely that she wanted Sirius only for his own wealth, and by extension power. The photograph Sirius had found, showed her to be a stunningly beautiful witch. The catch turned out to be that she was a widow, several times over. In fact, none of her marriages lasted very long at all. Even though there was absolutely no proof that she was responsible, Sirius opted to err on the side of caution.

Even after Andromeda had to return to work, Sirius kept at it. By the end of the day he had reduced the list down to a very manageable 'short list' consisting of four witches. There was Amelia Bones, which confused Sirius more than a little. Last he knew, she wasn't too fond of him. She was a handsome woman though, and about as light a witch as he could ever find. Charity Burbage was one he had to look up quite a bit. She was Hogwart's newly hired muggle studies professor. That information alone interested him. With her, he could meet his uncle's requirements, and still thumb his nose at the Black family's pure-blood ideals. Hestia Jones was a bit young for his tastes, and had little in the way of public records; however, she was very pretty, and based on her letter, it was likely that she was more mature than him. Finally there was Emmaline Vance. He knew Emmaline from back during the war, and had fought along side her more than once. If nothing else, it would be nice to catch up with her.

-o-o-

"Lucius, is it truly so important that Draco inherit? If so, is it necessary to push him so hard? He is only eleven." Snape's head spoke from within the flames of the Malfoy manor's fireplace.

Lucius paced before the fireplace as he spoke. "It is not so much a matter of Draco needing to inherit, as a matter of keeping that filthy blood-traitor from doing so. You of all people should know he shouldn't be given any power."

Snape closed his eyes. "Very well, if you are so insistent. At least allow your son some leniency. Having Draco beat his head against the wall trying to influence a lost cause is no way to convince Cygnus that the boy is a leader."

After a moment of silence, Lucius responded. "You are right Severus. Tell Draco to get the Bulstrode girl off of the fence, and then concentrate on the second years. I'll see if I can get Greengrass to get his daughter to realize her place is at Draco's side." He paused, then nodded to himself. "I've used the stick, now I'll offer the carrot. Tell Draco that if I am satisfied with his progress by the time the school year ends, I'll ensure he plays on the quidditch team next year."

Looking skeptical, Snape pointed out the perceived flaw. "You do remember that only the team captain has any say over who makes the cut. At best I can ban someone from playing, but even I need a good reason."

"I imagine I can provide your team with the proper motivation to select Draco." The confidence in Lucius' voice was unshakable.

After cutting off the connection, Snape shuddered. He almost looked forward to the day that truth of his allegiances came to light. True that would likely be the day he died, but at least then the duplicity would end. Maybe then his dreams wouldn't haunt him.

He picked up a bottle containing dreamless sleep, and frowned at how little was left. Tomorrow he would have to brew more.

-o-o-

Author's note: Sirius is down to four choices. My decision for the 'winner' has been made, but your input can still sway me to alter it.

On the subject of reviews: If you want to leave a review asking what's taking me so long, go right ahead, but please sign in so that I can PM you a response. I'm happy to explain why the delay, but I can't exactly do so for 'Guest.'

To Arjayess reviewing chapter 16: If the head of house Black plot-line bothers you in regards to canon, just consider it AU. This is a fan fiction website, so really, everything is AU in some way.

While in years ahead, Daphne/Harry is plausible, right now they're just kids. Harry is just comforting/taking care of a friend, there is no relationship to speak of. Harry could still wind up with almost anybody, but I guarantee that he won't wind up with Draco.

Draco isn't so much 'bad,' as screwed up by Lucius' influence.

To NatNicole reviewing chapter 16: His father has made it clear that he needs to gain control, and soon, so he's using the methods he thinks are appropriate.

Harry's already realizing that on some level, at least the good/evil thing, as shown by his conversation with Hermione on the train.

Hopefully I'm showing that not all Slytherins are evil. The trick is getting the rest of the school to see that.


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